Some 118 foodmakers, including Clif Bar, Nature’s Path, Organic Valley and Stonyfield, called on the Obama administration to suspend immediately the use of neonicotinoid pesticides on grounds they are driving down honeybee populations. In a letter, the businesses said they were concerned by EPA delays in action on the widely used pesticides. Many of the companies that signed the letter are members of the American Sustainable Business Council or the Green Business Network and rely on ingredients that result from pollination by bees.
Last fall, EPA said “neonic” seed treatments provided little value to soybean producers, says public broadcaster KUNC. Green groups have targeted “neonic” pesticides as a primary way to bolster honeybee populations. The government says other factors, such as disease and a destructive mite, also are key factors.