Lawsuit launched against EPA

Beekeepers and environmental groups claim EPA has failed to protect bees

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

Several groups including the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claiming that the agency has failed to protect bees from neonicotinoid pesticides.

A spokesperson for the PAN said in a statement that the group had made attempts to warn the agency about the risks posed by neonicotinoids. "The group lays out its reasoning case by noting that neonicotinoid pesticides are a newer class of chemicals, which are applied to seeds before planting". Some believe that neonicotinoids negatively affect insects, like bees central nervous system, which may lead to death.

The group will attempt to link the approval of the neonicotinoids to market in the mid-2000s and the decline of bee colonies. The group will argue that the EPA acted outside the law by allowing conditional registration to pesticides.

The EU recently implemented a two-year moratorium on three pesticides, which may be linked to bee deaths.