Pollinators are declining at rapid rates – and the pesticide industry is largely to blame. 40% of all invertebrate pollinators face extinction, yet pesticide corporations continue to drive rampant pesticide usage that is driving this insect apocalypse.
Scientists point to neonicotinoids, or neonics, as a primary culprit in driving this loss. Neonics are a highly toxic and widely used family of pesticides used on crops, lawns, gardens and golf courses. On top of species harm, neonics also threaten human health – especially for farm working communities who work with them regularly. These pesticides are also linked to developmental and reproductive harms when pregnant women are exposed to them.
In the state of California, there are some regulations on neonic pesticides, but there are no regulations for crop seeds that are coated with neonics. But pesticides don’t just stay on the seeds they coat. They contaminate soil, waterways and wildlife. These treated seeds are one of the biggest sources of pesticides in California. Right now, these treated seeds can deliver up to 512,000 pounds of neonics across the state each year – and there are no regulations to keep Californians safe.
So, we took to the courts.
We teamed up with Natural Resources Defense Council, Center for Biological Diversity, Californians for Pesticide Reform, and Pesticide Action Network to call on the state to propose regulations addressing these pesticide-treated seeds. We argued that the state’s policy to exempt pesticide-coated crop seeds from pesticide regulations was illegally adopted. And we won.
California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) now has a binding agreement to propose regulations for treated seeds, and they’re forced to enact a swift timeline for final action. This is a massive step in our fight to protect the environment, species and communities from toxic pesticides.
