Maine farmers are sounding the alarm over a law set to take effect in 2030 banning the use of pesticides containing PFAs or forever chemicals.

According to the Portland Press Herald, farmers won’t be able to protect their land from blights or pests that can cause harm to their crops.

Maine Farm Bureau representative Julie Ann Smith says that “No organic pesticide maker is going to do PFA’s testing for $5,000 a year in annual sales. They’re going to say, ‘ Hell no, Maine’s not worth it’ and move on, leaving Maine farmers, especially organic farmers, without the tools we need to get our food to market”.

She also theorizes that pesticide makers who do stay in the state will jack up prices, leading to more economic issues for local farmers, who are already dealing with maintenance and fertilizer costs rising.

If less Maine famers get their products to markets, consumers will lose access to local food, which is healthier for you, as opposed to food coming in from the rest of the nation, which can take weeks to get to Maine. Out of state farmers who don’t have to deal with PFA restrictions might also have a way to take over the market in Maine, hurting local farmers even more.

That’s not to say there’s no benefit to the new regulations, however. Multiple conservation groups have advocated for these laws by saying that the environment will be improved by less PFAs in the ecosystem. “There’s nobody among us that doesn’t want action taken on PFAS, but there’s no consensus about what that action should be or when we should do it,” Smith said. “We’re breaking new ground here and there’s a lot on the line”.

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