Syngenta and Bayer Agree to Ban of 12 Bee-Harming Pesticides

Twelve pesticides made with chemicals shown to harm bees and other pollinators are slated to be banned as part of a proposed settlement with the manufacturers, the EPA announced Dec. 12. The pesticides, marketed by Syngenta AG., Bayer AG, and Valent USA Corp., contain either thiamethoxam or clothianidin, two chemicals in the neonicotinoid class that are linked to declining bee populations. The companies are asking the Environmental Protection Agency to voluntarily cancel the registration of six Syngenta products, four Valent products, and two Bayer products containing the chemicals as part of a proposed settlement with the agency and environmental groups, the EPA said in a Dec. 12 Federal Register notice. The EPA must also complete determinations of how the chemicals may harm threatened and endangered species by June 30, 2022. A federal court is expected to approve the agreement in early 2019.

“This is an crucial and hard-won victory for endangered species and the environment, and a vital step in addressing the urgent issue of bee-killing neonics,” George Kimbrell, legal director for the Center for Food Safety who argued on behalf of beekeepers in the litigation, told Bloomberg Environment in an email.

Source: Bloomberg Law News Jan 11, 2019