A U.S. district judge in California ruled that the EPA violated the Endangered Species Act when it issued 59 registrations from 2007-12 that allow use of neonicotinoid insecticides in agricultural, landscaping and ornamental uses. District Judge Maxine Chesney issued a mixed verdict that upheld some the issues raised by beekeepers and environmental groups but denied others.
The environmental group Center for Food Safety said ruling was “a vital victory. Science shows these toxic pesticides harm bees, endangered species and the broader environment.” The group’s legal director George Kimbrell said the additional hearings ordered by Chesney could lead to cancellation of the registrations, which include use of the neonicotinoids as a protective coating on seeds. Neonic-coated seeds are used by corn, soybean and cotton growers.
Some activists blame neonicotinoids for the steep decline in the population of honeybees and the loss of other pollinators. USDA says parasites and disease play a much bigger role.
The Palm Beach Post said the lawsuit “states that EPA has allowed more than 2 million pounds a year of the neonicotinoids, clothianidin and thiamethoxam, to be used annually on more than 100 million acres and on dozens of different crops without adhering to existing procedural frameworks and with no adequate risk assessments in place”
To read the 39-page ruling, click here.