Israeli company illegally imported herbicide to Port of Savannah, feds say

An Israeli company faces thousands of dollars in federal fines for importing an unauthorized herbicide to the Port of Savannah, even though the product was subsequently cleared for use in the states where it was headed, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Two nearly 95,000-pound shipments of metamitron, a chemical compound used to protect sugar beets from a particularly pesky invasive weed, were delivered to the port in December 2023, the EPA said in a consent order dated July 8.

That notification to the company, Adama Ltd., came just two days before the EPA authorized an emergency exemption that allows the compound to be used in Colorado and Nebraska – the very states where the illegal shipments had been bound.

“At the time of arrival of the two shipments of metamitron on December 5, 2023, the ... emergency exemption had not been issued,” the agency explained in its July 8 order. “Therefore, the products were not in compliance with (federal law).”

Colorado and Nebraska agriculture officials requested emergency approval for use of metamitron on sugar beets to control a weed known as Palmer Amaranth that has grown resistant to many herbicides.

“The departments stated that significant economic losses would be suffered without adequate control of this weed,” the Nebraska Farm Bureau noted this week. “EPA determined that emergency conditions exist, and authorized specific exemptions through December 31, 2027.”

Climate impact:Report to reveal Port of Savannah pollution levels, climate-warming emissions

In April of this year, Adama announced the launch of a metamitron-based product for use in Nebraska and Colorado, with the company “having received ... (an) emergency exemption during 2024” from the EPA.

A company spokeswoman said this week that “timing is the context that matters the most” in understanding the agreement between Adama and the EPA related to the deliveries of the product.

However, she offered no further information about the situation.

Adama, which reported sales of $4.7 billion in 2023, operates in more than 100 countries, according to the company’s website. Its U.S. operations are based in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Port of Savannah, the largest single-terminal facility of its kind in North America, and Georgia Ports Authority were not part of the EPA’s investigation.

John Deem covers climate change and the environment in coastal Georgia. He can be reached at 912-652-0213 or jdeem@gannett.com.