[Pollinator] Ortho phasing out neonics from garden and lawn care products

[Matthew Shepherd]

Today’s news is that Ortho has announced that it will phase out neonics
from its garden and lawn care products. There are a bunch of stories about
this on various media sites. They don’t all have the same information, so
here are the two most common variations of the story.



Matthew



*********************



FROM: CBS News

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ortho-to-phase-out-chemicals-that-may-be-killing-bees/



*Ortho phasing out chemicals that may be killing bees*



*DENVER - *Garden-care giant Ortho said Tuesday it will stop using a class
of chemicals widely believed to harm bees.



The company plans to phase out neonicotinoids by 2021 in eight products
used to control garden pests and diseases.



Ortho will change three products for roses, flowers, trees and shrubs by
2017 and other products later, said Tim Martin, vice president and general
manager of Ortho, a division of Marysville, Ohio-based Scotts Miracle-Gro (
SMG <http://markets.cbsnews.com/SMG/quote/>).



The chemicals, called neonics for short, attack the central nervous systems
of insects. Some advocates say neonics are one of several reasons behind
declining populations of bees, which are major pollinators of food crops.



About one-third of the human diet comes from insect-pollinated plants, and
honeybees are responsible for 80 percent of that pollination.



Ortho is acting out of concern for possible threats to honeybees and other
pollinators and to reassure customers that "Ortho's got their back, taking
care of whatever they need controlled in the most responsible manner,"
Martin said.



The change might require gardeners to apply the reformulated products more
frequently, but it will be easier to target pests while reducing the
chances of hurting bees, he said. The cost of the products won't change
significantly, Martin said.



It wasn't immediately clear what effect Ortho's decision would have on the
health of the overall bee population. Neonics are used in a number of
chemicals applied to food and textile crops such as corn and cotton as well
as individual gardens.



The severity of the effects of neonics on bees appears to vary depending on
what type of crops or plants they're used on, according to a study by the
U.S.



Environmental Protection Agency and California's environmental agency that
was released in January. Another study published last year showed neonics
might hit wild bumblebees harder than domestically raised honeybees.



Bayer CropScience and Syngenta (SYT), the top manufacturers of neonics,
have said the research has exaggerated the risks and understated the
benefits.



Concern about bee health is growing. Last week, the Maryland General
Assembly passed a bill that would allow only certified applicators, farmers
and veterinarians to apply pesticides containing neonics. In March, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it would consider whether to protect
two species of wild bumblebees under the Endangered Species Act amid
declines in their numbers.



The environmental group Defenders of Wildlife, which asked the service to
consider protecting the bees, said neonics were one a factor in the bees'
decline.





FROM: USA Today

*Ortho to stop using chemicals considered to be harmful to bees*

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2016/04/12/ortho-stop-using-chemicals-considered-harmful-honey-bees/82926930/



Ortho, the insect control product maker, said Tuesday it would begin “to
transition away” from using chemicals that are harmful to honey bees and
other pollinators, responding to growing pressure from environmental
advocates.



The Marysville, Ohio-based company, which is a subsidiary of
ScottsMiracle-Gro, will discontinue neonicotinoid-based pesticides for
outdoor use. The move follows Lowe's and Home Depot's announcements last
year that they will stop selling neonicotinoid-based products in their
garden care sections.



Ortho also plans to work with the Pollinator Stewardship Council, an
advocacy group that supports beekeepers, to start a customer education
program and lobby for the use of label language that clarifies the purchase
of non-neonic pesticides.



"This decision comes after careful consideration regarding the range of
possible threats to honey bees and other pollinators,” said Tim Martin,
general manager of the Ortho brand. “While agencies in the United States
are still evaluating the overall impact of neonics on pollinator
populations, it’s time for Ortho to move on.”



"We encourage other companies and brands in the consumer pest control
category to follow our lead,” he said.



Ortho has previously worked with the Pollinator Stewardship Council to
support pollinator habitat, and their new multi-year program will use
online channels and social media to "develop homeowner education related to
the responsible use of pesticides where pollinators can be found," Ortho
said.



“Bees and butterflies are essential to our ecosystem and are increasingly
facing a struggle to survive," Michele Colopy, program director of the
Pollinator Stewardship Council, said in a statement. "We join Ortho in
asking other consumer pest control brands to also transition away from the
use of neonics.”



In January, ScottsMiracle-Gro also announced a program that will result in
the creation of 75 pollinator gardens in the U.S. this year.





________



*Matthew Shepherd*

Communications Director



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