The Bees Have Their Day In Court... And Win Big!

September 12, 2015

A federal court has overturned the United States Environmental Protection Agency's approval of sulfoxaflor, a pesticide linked to the mass die-off of honeybees that pollinate a third of the world's food supply.

The three-judge panel said the EPA's decision to unconditionally register sulfoxaflor was based on flawed and limited data and that the EPA's unconditional approval was not supported by substantial evidence.

The product, sold in the U.S. as Transform or Closer, must be pulled from store shelves by October 18.

Gregory Loarie, lead counsel for environmental group Earthjustice, which represented beekeepers and beekeeping groups in the case, said the ruling could lead to reviews of other EPA-approved pesticides.

"The EPA rarely, if ever, has reliable information regarding the impact that insecticides have on honeybee colonies writ large, as opposed to individual, adult worker bees," Loarie said. "With the findings in this case, EPA should move quickly to re-examine other registrations for possible flawed and limited data."

(h/t) Take Part.