Major Victory for Public Health and the Environment: Corteva Cancels Toxic Enlist Duo Herbicide After Years of Legal Pressure by

19 February 2026, Washington: In a major victory for farmers, communities, and ecosystems nationwide, Corteva Agriscience and EPA has announced plans to cancel the pesticide company’s toxic herbicide Enlist Duo, following years of litigation and advocacy by Center for Food Safety (CFS) and allies. The cancellation comes amidst ongoing CFS litigation, with the company facing CFS’s arguments as to the herbicide’s cancer and environmental risks and the illegality of its approval. The cancellation marks the long-awaited end of one of the most dangerous chemical mixtures ever approved for U.S. agriculture—a blend of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and glyphosate, both linked to cancer and widespread environmental damage. 

“This is a monumental win for people and the planet,” said Kristina Sinclair, staff attorney at CFS. “After over a decade of legal battles, and rather than try and rebut our arguments in court, the manufacturer pulled Enlist Duo from the market. Persistent public-interest litigation works. Our food system never should have been doused in this toxic cocktail and now never will be again.” 

“This victory is a long-overdue step toward justice for farmworker women and rural communities who have borne the brunt of pesticide exposure for far too long,” said Mily Treviño-Sauceda, Executive Director of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas. “For years, Enlist herbicides have put our families at risk—causing reproductive harm, cancer, and devastating community health impacts. Today’s decision to cancel Enlist Duo proves that people power works, and that protecting the health of women, children, and farmworkers must always come before corporate profit.” 

A Decade of Persistence Pays Off 

CFS first challenged EPA’s unlawful approval of Enlist Duo in 2015, over a decade ago, arguing that the agency violated federal law by failing to ensure the herbicide would not cause “unreasonable adverse effects on the environment,” as required under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Over the years, CFS’s litigation and advocacy exposed the agency’s deeply flawed risk assessments and documented the real-world consequences of these chemical approvals—from off-target drift that devastated neighboring crops to the destruction of monarch butterfly habitat and the creation of herbicide-resistant “superweeds.” Earlier CFS litigations led to EPA re-examining the registration based on synergistic risks and a court decision holding EPA had violated FIFRA in failing to analyze the adverse impacts to monarch butterflies.  

“CFS has been in this fight since day one,” said Amy van Saun, senior attorney at CFS. “For more than a decade, we’ve challenged the revolving door between pesticide corporations and their regulators. This cancellation is the result of our relentless watchdogging, evidence-based advocacy, and the power of communities refusing to back down.” 

A Toxic Legacy Finally Ends 

Corteva, the agricultural spinoff of DowDuPont, marketed this GE Seed/Pesticide combo as the successor to Monsanto’s Roundup Ready system. Enlist Duo was first approved by EPA in 2014 despite widespread opposition and scientific warnings. The combination of glyphosate—a probable human carcinogen—with 2,4-D—a chemical component of Agent Orange—led to serious health, ecological, and economic harms: 

• Health threats: Elevated risk of cancer, with both pesticides linked to the immune system cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma. 
• Environmental destruction: The glyphosate component of Enlist Duo has triggered massive loss of milkweed, the essential habitat for monarch butterflies.
• Farm impacts: Crop damage and economic loss from herbicide drift and volatilization. 
• Superweed crisis: Escalating herbicide resistance driving a vicious cycle of chemical overuse and increasing costs for farmers. 

“This decision finally acknowledges what farmers and communities have been saying for years—that Enlist Duo’s harm far outweighs its supposed benefits,” said Rob Faux, Iowa farmer and Communications Manager for Pesticide Action and Agroecology Network.  “Enlist Duo is a product that drifts from its target, damaging both alternative crops and threatening health. Our food systems should not be collateral damage to corporate chemical profits.”  

Justice Through Persistence 

The cancellation of Enlist Duo follows a string of legal wins by CFS that have reshaped national pesticide policy and forced the federal government to reexamine approvals of toxic chemicals across the board. 

“No one watchdogs EPA and its pesticide decisions as closely as CFS, or holds the agency to account when it violates pesticide law,” said Bill Freese, science director at Center for Food Safety. 

A Safer Future Ahead 

CFS continues to lead the fight for a food system free from toxic pesticides, corporate capture, and government negligence. From the courtroom to the classroom, CFS is committed to protecting biodiversity, empowering farmers, and ensuring that public health—not corporate profit—guides agricultural policy. 

“Every cancellation, every court win, every shift in public policy is the result of unwavering dedication,” added Sinclair. “Today’s victory is a reminder that persistence works—and that together, we can end the toxic pesticide era.” 

Background:

CFS has been at the forefront of the movement to reform pesticide policy and hold EPA accountable for more than 25 years, winning landmark cases that have protected endangered species, safeguarded pollinators, and challenged the unchecked power of chemical corporations like Monsanto, Bayer, and Corteva. The current litigation will continue against another Corteva product, “Enlist One,” which consists only of 2,4-D.

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