Bee harming pesticide wrongly approved by regulator says US Courts – implications for Europe and UK say Friends of the Earth

The US Court of Appeal has over-turned the approval by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) of a controversial bee-harming pesticide, sulfoxaflor, classified as a ‘sub class’ of neonicotinoids, which has also been approved for use in Europe. UK Government approval is now needed before products containing sulfoxaflor can be sprayed on British crops.

In the US case, the Court said the regulators approved without adequate information about the ‘sub lethal’ effects of the pesticide over time on honey bee colonies.

Friends of the Earth bees campaigner, Sandra Bell, said: “US regulators have been caught approving this harmful pesticide without proper evidence about the risks to bees. The European Commission recently approved this pesticide, despite being warned of potential risks to bees,  paving the way for more bee harming products to be used in our fields.

“Pesticides should be tested rigorously before they are allowed to be used. The way they are tested and licensed for use in the US and in Europe is too full of holes to keep our bees safe.

“The US ruling should be a warning  to the UK Government not to allow any new bee  harming products to be used in the UK”.