The plaintiffs in the suit are the Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Food Safety, National Family Farm Coalition and the Pesticide Action Network.

"Federal regulators have abandoned the interests of farmers, the environment, and public health," plaintiffs' counsel George Kimbrell said. "We won't allow our food to be dragged backward into a pesticide-soaked nightmare – not without a hell of a fight."

The approval is expected to lead to a tenfold increase in the amount of dicamba sprayed. This will not even offset the use of other chemicals; the new herbicide is approved for use on soybean and cotton crops genetically engineered to resist both dicamba and glyphosate (Roundup). Thus, spraying of Roundup will continue.