[Pollinator] Big Win for Bees: Judge Pulls Pesticide (two articles)

[Eric Mader]

Big Win for Bees: Judge Pulls Pesticide

Dec 29th


NEW YORK (December 29, 2009) – A pesticide that could be dangerously
toxic to America’s honey bees must be pulled from store shelves as a
result of a suit filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
and the Xerces Society. In an order issued last week, a federal court
in New York invalidated EPA’s approval of the pesticide spirotetramat
(manufactured by Bayer CropScience under the trade names Movento and
Ultor) and ordered the agency to reevaluate the chemical in compliance
with the law. The court’s order goes into effect on January 15, 2010,
and makes future sales of Movento illegal in the United States

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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=awNvfcIKf4AY

Bayer ‘Disappointed’ in Ruling on Chemical That May Harm Bees

By Alan Bjerga

Dec. 29 (Bloomberg) -- A Bayer AG unit is “disappointed” by a U.S.
judge’s ruling that may prevent distribution of its spirotetramat
insecticide, a spokesman said. Environmental groups say the chemical
causes harm to honeybees.

U.S. District Court Judge Denise Cote on Dec. 23 ordered the
Environmental Protection Agency to rescind approval for spirotetramat,
which inhibits cell reproduction in insects. Cote said the EPA didn’t
properly seek comments or publicize the review process. The judge in
New York ordered the ruling stayed until Jan. 15 and sent the matter
back to the EPA.

Spirotetramat, sold under various names including Movento, was
approved for use in the U.S. last year, even though the agency was
aware of its potential harm to bees, Cote said. The Natural Resources
Defense Council, an environmental organization in New York, and the
Xerces Society, a Portland, Oregon, a wildlife conservation group,
challenged the EPA’s actions.

The insecticide is fit for use and the ruling is based on EPA
processes rather than product safety, Jack Boyne, a spokesman for
Bayer CropScience LP, a unit of the Leverkusen, Germany-based company,
said in a statement. The chemical “has shown excellent performance
with regard to bee safety,” he said. Bayer is “evaluating our options”
on how to respond to Cote’s ruling, he said.

Pest killers have been linked to honeybee colony collapse disorder, or
mass deaths of the insects, which have been reported since 2006. Bees
pollinate $15 billion of U.S. plants each year, according to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.

Viruses, mites, pesticides and poor bee treatment have been suggested
as primary causes of the disorder, which has been reported in at least
35 states, as well as in Europe and Asia. The Bayer insecticide was
approved in Australia in August, and the company said at the time that
it also had been cleared for use in Canada and Austria.

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Eric Mader
National Pollinator Outreach Coordinator
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Tel: 608-628-4951 Fax: 503-233-6794
Email: eric at xerces.org
Skype: eric_mader_xerces_society

Assistant Professor of Extension
University of Minnesota - Department of Entomology
Email: made0002 at umn.edu

The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit organization that
protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their
habitat. Our Pollinator Conservation Program works to support the
sustainability and profitability of farms while protecting pollinator
insects. To join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our
work, please visit www.xerces.org.
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