EPA Cancels Registrations for 12 Neonicotinoid Pesticides

The settlement in December 2018 was related to the Endangered Species Act, according to Bloomberg. Beekeepers and environmental groups were putting pressure on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address the toxic effects of the pesticides on bees. In May 2017, a federal court ruled that the agency acted in violation of the Act when it registered 59 pesticides containing neonicotinoids. 

Although the companies making the pesticides say that their products are rigorously tested before going to market, studies by academic researchers have shown that neonicotinoids are harmful to bees. The EPA is now legally bound to assess the effects of neonicotinoids on endangered species, reports The Washington Post.

See “Bees’ Molecular Responses to Neonicotinoids Determined”

The EPA has canceled registrations for neonicotinoids in the past, says agency spokesperson John Konkus to the Post. “For the EPA to pull a previously registered pesticide is a pretty major step,” says Mark Winston of Simon Fraser University to the Post. “It’s not something they do very often.”

Experts say they are hopeful that removing neonicotinoid products from the market will benefit honeybee populations, and, in turn, food crops. “Today’s cancellation of these neonicotinoid pesticides is a hard-won battle and landmark step in the right direction,” says George Kimbrell, legal director at the Center for Food Safety, to Bloomberg.