EPA Allows Pesticide Over Objections From Beekeepers
July 24, 2019
The EPA restores use of a pesticide opposed by beekeepers.
In a battle between farmers and beekeepers, farmers win the latest round. According to an article from WPSD, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will allow farmers to use a pesticide opposed by beekeepers who believe it is harmful to a declining population of honeybees. The EPA reportedly cited private chemical industry studies that state the chemical – sulfoxaflor – does only lower-level harm to bees and wildlife. The pesticide is made by Corteva Agriscience, a spinoff of the DowDuPont merger.
The agriculture industry reportedly accused the EPA of unduly favoring honeybees. Sorghum producers in particular pressed for reinstatement of the chemical for broad use. U.S. beekeepers lost 38% of their bee colonies last winter alone, according to the University of Maryland, which described it as “the highest one-winter loss in the 13-year history of their survey.” The new chemical industry studies have not been made public.
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