EPA Sued Again Over Concerns About Neonicotinoids
Once again the EPA is being sued by the Center For Food Safety in regards to issues concerning pesticide coated seeds. The case challenges EPA’s failure to regulate seeds coated with neonicotinoids and seeks to end EPA’s loophole allowing the unchecked planting of these toxic seeds, which are harmful to bees and other pollinators.
Neonicotinoids are the most widely used pesticides globally and are subsequently, very profitable for the companies that manufacture them. These deadly pesticides generate millions of dollars in sales. They are also more toxic than DDT and have been scientifically been proven to be the cause for the global decline of honeybees, birds, bats and numerous other pollinators.
Neonicotinoid-coated seeds represent the largest use for these systemic insecticides which consists of roughly 150 million acres that have been planted with them. This is about the size of one and a half of the entire state of California.
In this week’s segment of The Neonicotinoid View, host June Stoyer and Tom Theobald talk to Amy van Saun from the Center For Food Safety about the law suit. To listen to the interview, press the play button on the video below.
“The Neonicotinoid View”, which is produced by The Organic View Radio Show is unique, weekly program that explores the impact of neonicotinoids on the environment. Tune in each week as host, June Stoyer and Colorado beekeeper, Tom Theobald explore the latest research and news from the beekeeping community.
Meet Amy van Saun
Amy is a legal fellow in the Center for Food Safety’s Portland, Oregon office. After clerking for CFS in San Francisco in the summer of 2009, Amy joined the CFS legal team in March 2014. A 2011 graduate from Lewis & Clark Law School, Amy focused on public interest environmental and food law in school, earning a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law.
Amy L. van Saun, Legal Fellow, Center For Food Safety
Prior to joining CFS, Amy volunteered with Earthjustice and then litigated complex environmental insurance cases at a law firm in New York City. Originally from New York, Amy has since made her home in the Pacific Northwest, where she works on both local and national issues concerning pesticides, pollinator protection, genetic engineering, shellfish aquaculture, food labeling, and organic integrity. Amy is one of the attorneys representing nationally-representative beekeepers, farmers and public interest organizations in the case against EPA for its failure to regulate seeds coated with neonicotinoid pesticides.
Center For Food Safety
Center for Food Safety (CFS) is a national non-profit public interest and environmental advocacy organization working to protect human health and the environment by curbing the use of harmful food production technologies and by promoting organic and other forms of sustainable agriculture. CFS also educates consumers concerning the definition of organic food and products. CFS uses legal actions, groundbreaking scientific and policy reports, books and other educational materials, market pressure and grass roots campaigns through our True Food Network. CFS’s successful legal cases collectively represent a landmark body of case law on food and agricultural issues. To learn more about their legal actions, please click this link.