EPA Acknowledges Neonicotinoid Pesticides Harm Bees, Exposes Flawed Approval Process that Greenlights Unsafe Chemicals for Widespread Use
WASHINGTON (January 7, 2016) – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the first risk assessment of neonicotinoid pesticides (or neonics), which have long been associated with harm to bees and other pollinators. In the assessment, the EPA concluded that neonics can cause significant harm to honeybees, depending on the crop.
Jennifer Sass, Senior Scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, made the following statement:
“Neonics have rocketed to the top of the list of the most widely-used insecticides, despite the EPA 's inability to demonstrate they are safe. Today, even as these chemicals are slathered on hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland and the Agency presents clear evidence that bees are put at risk from neonics, the EPA has not issued any plan of action to protect the pollinators essential to our food supply. Neonics are a preventable cause of widespread bee deaths; EPA should withdraw its approval of these pesticides, starting with the most harmful uses.”
More Information:
- Blog:“Neonicotinoid Pesticides Still Bad for Bees”
- Factsheet: “Busy as a Bee: Pollinators Put Food on the Table”