Section 19 of Senate Bill 639: North Carolina Farm Act of 2025 has a critical legal provision, and the NC Chamber asks for legislative support to protect our state’s food supply, manufacturers, and families.

Due to the importance of this issue to the state’s legal climate, the NC Chamber urges this policy to be considered and included in the bill. Should Section 19 remain in the bill, the NC Chamber will score Senate Bill 639 as a key vote.

While the full legal argument is unpacked in this article, Section 19 of the bill reaffirms that the federal government already stringently regulates pesticide manufacturers through the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).  Under that law, manufacturers can’t warn a consumer about the risks associated with a pesticide if the federal government does not believe that risk exists. Section 19 recognizes that federal law already thoroughly governs product labels and the notion of furthering a state-by-state patchwork of additional product liability standards is both unnecessary and untenable.

Bottom line: Without this provision, North Carolina is opening a pathway for companies to be targeted by plaintiffs’ attorneys for simply complying with federal law. The rigor of EPA requirements cannot be overstated, attempts to add a state-level of regulation to that process will increase lawsuits and bigger pockets for plaintiffs’ attorneys, but it will not do anything for farmer safety.

As NC Chamber General Counsel and President of the NC Chamber Legal Institute Ray Starling said in his analysis, “If you respect crop protection tools, the rule of law, and an efficient food system, there’s only one right answer here.”

The NC Chamber urges legislative support of Section 19 of the North Carolina Farm Act of 2025.