One bill aims to speed the study and regulation of insecticides. Another would close a related loophole that poses risks to pollinators, waterways and people.
defects for babies born near farms that applied neonics, while animal studies link neonics to low sperm count, thyroid problems, delayed reflexes and more.Exposure comes through the produce we eat, which, if it’s not organic, has often been sprayed with the insecticide or grown from pre-treated seeds. We also drink it, since neonics move easily in water.
Bauer-Kahan last year got a bill through the legislature that would have banned lawn and garden use of neonics, with an exemption only for invasive species. That’s in line with neonics bans in place in New Jersey, Maine and Nevada, while another seven states only allow the products to be used by pesticide professionals.
As for why Western Plant Health Association opposes AB 363, Pinel noted that most invasive insects enter California through non-agricultural settings, such as tourism. So she said it’s “vital to control pests from finding a foothold in non-agricultural environments.” No state has such rules in place today, per the National Resources Defense Council. The New York legislature this weekIn the meantime, federal law requires that all pesticides applied to seeds must be registered with the EPA. And if the application happens in California, the pesticides must also be registered here. But once the seed is treated, state and federal regulations don’t consider the seeds themselves to be “pesticides,” so they don’t track or regulate their use.
Neonics are commonly used to treat seeds. In fact, Rhoads said that’s now likely the main way that neonics get into our environment in California. Treated seeds are estimated to cover some 4 million acres of state farmland.
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