Environmental Safety Company Denies Petition to Regulate Neonic-Handled Seeds

From the Winter 2023 challenge of Residing Chook journal. Subscribe now.

In September the U.S. Environmental Safety Company denied a petition looking for to take away pesticide-coated seeds from the company’s “handled article exemption.” The exemption means pes­ticide-coated seeds usually are not regulated as a pesticide by the EPA.

A coalition led by the Middle for Meals Security—and together with American Chook Conservancy, Pesticide Motion Community, and different beekeeping and pollinator teams—filed the petition asking EPA to finish a regulatory loop­gap for seeds handled with a coating of systemic pesticides (corresponding to neonicoti­noids). The petition requested the company to observe and regulate pesticide-coated seeds simply as it will pesticides utilized on vegetation or in fields.

A response to the petition from Edward Messina, EPA Workplace of Pesti­cide Packages director, acknowledged that EPA will “assessment labeling directions for pesticides registered for seed remedy use(s)” and “search extra data on pesticide seed remedy,” in addition to discover the longer term possibility of regulating the usage of pesticide-treated seed. Apart from that, Messina wrote that EPA won’t change its present apply.  

Seed coatings are the first approach neonicotinoid pesticides are utilized in farm fields. Neonics have been docu­mented to have direct results on birds, corresponding to interfering with metabolism, migration, and copy, in addition to oblique results, corresponding to miserable insect prey populations. A examine con­ducted by scientists from the Univer­sity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Auburn College discovered proof of accelerated declines of grassland birds in counties with excessive neonicotinoid use (see “Neonic Nation: Is Widespread Pesticide Use Linked To Grassland Chook Declines? Summer season 2022).

“The EPA’s determination at the moment to disclaim the petition request to exclude pes­ticide-coated seeds from the handled article exemption represents a blow to grassland and insect-eating birds,” mentioned Hardy Kern, director of the Ameri­can Chook Conservancy Pesticides and Birds Marketing campaign. “The U.S. and Canada have almost 3 billion fewer birds than in 1970, partly resulting from pesticide-caused prey loss and poisoning. It is a misplaced alternative to mitigate these threats.”  

An EPA spokesperson contacted for this story mentioned the company had no additional remark about its determination.