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Environment & Energy

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hatrack

(59,436 posts)
Wed Jan 13, 2016, 09:22 AM Jan 2016

Bayer Retracts Claims That EPA Study On Bees, Neonic Pesticide "Overstated" [View all]

EDIT

Bayer, a dominant player in the neonicotinoid pesticide market, initially said the report “appears to overestimate the potential for harmful exposures in certain crops, such as citrus and cotton, while ignoring the important benefits these products provide and management practices to protect bees”.

But the company has now clarified its stance, telling the Guardian that it believes the assessment is “quite good and scientifically sound”. A spokesman said Bayer will look to work with the EPA to reduce risks to bees.

“EPA concluded that when used on citrus and cotton imidacloprid might pose a risk. Note that they didn’t say they are a risk to honeybee colonies,” he said. “That’s because there are many ways farmers can use these neonics on cotton and citrus crops in ways that reduce risk to honeybee colonies. In fact, there are many restrictions in place that already do this and Bayer has proposed several more to EPA to consider that would put in place additional protections for bees.”

The EPA is in the process of reviewing the impact of three other neonicotinoids – clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and dinotefuran – as well as how other species, such as butterflies and aquatic animals, are affected by pesticides. This work is set to be unveiled in December. But environmentalists have accused the EPA of being too slow to assess the harm caused by pesticides to bees and have urged the regulator to follow Europe in banning them. US bee colonies are in trouble, with a United States Department of Agriculture study in May finding that 42% of colonies have been lost over the past year, the largest loss on record.

EDIT

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jan/12/bayer-revises-position-extra-protections-for-bees-from-pesticides

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