Minnesota Department of Agriculture considers ban on bee-killing pesticide [US]

Minnesota regulators are considering banning a controversial insecticide that has been linked to bee deaths.  The possible rules come in response to public outcry over the use of the insecticide known as neonicotinoids and the drastic drop in honeybee populations.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is considering a restriction, or an outright ban, of neonicotinoids, a family of insecticides that has been linked to the deaths of bees and other pollinators. The state received a large number of public comments when it announced earlier this year that it was conducting a study of the chemicals.  The in-depth review of the chemicals will likely take more than six months.

Use of pesticides in Minnesota is governed at both the state and federal levels.  Efforts to restrict or ban neonicotinoids use have succeeded in New York, Oregon, Canada, and Europe, and many Minnesotans hope to add their state to the growing list.  Neonicotinoids are widely used pesticides that work as neurotoxins on many agricultural pests and are used on corn, sugar beets, potatoes, and cereals.

Red-on-line EHS Legal Counsel

Sources:

Tony Kennedy, State raises possibility of banning neonicotinoids, Minnesota Start Tribune, October 29, 2014