The United States has already lost more than half of its managed honeybee colonies -- and the problem could soon get much worse.
Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta, which is one of Monsanto’s biggest competitors, just filed paperwork with the EPA requesting permission to increase the amount of the bee-killing pesticide thiamethoxam it uses on alfalfa, corn, barley, and wheat crops by up to 40,000%.1 If approved, this proposal would be absolutely devastating for bees and other pollinators.
The EPA has opened a crucial public comment period to take feedback on Syngenta’s bee-killing proposal – but we only have a few days to flood the EPA with comments and save the bees.
Tell the EPA: Reject Syngenta’s bee-killing pesticide proposal. Submit a public comment before the October 6 deadline.
A growing number of scientists place the blame for theEnvironmental Protection Agency on neonicotinoid pesticides, including Syngenta’s thiamethoxam, which suppress bees’ immune systems and make them more susceptible deadly viruses and bacterial diseases.
That’s why governments and individuals around the globe are taking action to save bees and other pollinators by restricting or prohibiting the use of neonicotinoids. In Europe, after a major report found that these pesticides posed “high acute risks” to bees, the European Commission enacted a two-year ban in order to conduct further studies.2 And just a few weeks ago, Canadian beekeepers filed a $400 million lawsuit targeting pesticide manufacturers Syngenta and Bayer for their role in contributing to the deaths of honeybees.3
But here in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency plans to continue studying the issue until 2019 before taking action, despite the fact that bee populations continue to collapse.4 Bees can't afford to wait for the EPA to get its act together -- and neither can we.
Syngenta’s new proposal to radically increase neonicotinoid pesticide spraying could be a death sentence for bees. We need your help to build massive pressure on the EPA to reject it.
Submit a public comment before the October 6 deadline telling the EPA to reject Syngenta’s bee-killing pesticide proposal.
Sign statement HERE.
1. "Syngenta asks EPA to raise tolerance level for 'bee-killing' chemical," E&E Publishing, September 5, 2014.
2. "Colony Collapse Disorder: European Bans on Neonicotinoid Pesticides," Environmental Protection Agency.
3. "Beekeeper 'Frustration' Led To Class Action On Neonicotinoids," Huffington Post, September 6, 2014.
4. "Schedule for Review of Neonicotinoid Pesticides," Environmental Protection Agency.
