Published July 24, 2026
Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed legislation on May 26, 2026 making Vermont the first U.S. state to ban paraquat, a widely used herbicide that thousands of lawsuits allege causes Parkinson's disease. The ban takes effect November 1, 2026, ending most sales and use of the chemical, though the law includes limited exemptions for a handful of fruit crops that phase out fully by the end of 2030.
Vermont's Department of Agriculture pointed to mounting scientific evidence, the more than 8,000 paraquat lawsuits already pending in U.S. courts, and growing pressure from lawmakers and public health advocates as reasons for the ban. Paraquat is already banned in more than 70 countries, but remains widely used in American agriculture, where it's valued for controlling weeds in crops like corn and soybeans.
Vermont's ban is a legislative and regulatory action, not a court ruling, and it doesn't affect paraquat's federal registration status or its use in other states. But it arrives at a moment when the federal paraquat litigation is itself moving toward resolution — Syngenta has already announced it will stop producing paraquat globally by mid-2026, and a court-appointed special master is helping plaintiffs evaluate settlement offers in the ongoing MDL. Advocates tracking the ban say other states may follow Vermont's lead as the litigation and the underlying science continue to draw attention to the chemical's risks.
For farmers and applicators in Vermont, the practical effect is a transition period between now and November 2026 (and through 2030 for a few exempted crops) to find alternative weed-control methods. For the broader paraquat litigation, the ban doesn't change anything about existing lawsuits, but it adds to a pattern of regulatory and manufacturer responses that plaintiffs' attorneys have pointed to as supporting their claims.
Vermont's ban doesn't affect your ability to pursue a claim if you were exposed to paraquat elsewhere and later diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. See Atumio's paraquat lawsuit page for a free eligibility review, or start your case review directly.