The Pest Management Regulatory Agency on Thursday released its final decision on what limits should be placed on a category of nicotine-based pesticides known as neonicotinoids to keep them from killing bees. Starting in two years, the pesticides won't be allowed to be sprayed at all on certain crops like apples and tree nuts and there will be limited times when they can be sprayed on many others, like tomatoes, eggplants and berries.
However, this decision, which won't begin to take effect until 2021, will likely be overridden in less than a year when the agency finalizes a separate assessment of the exact same products for their impact on aquatic insects. The agency found in 2016 that the most popular of the neonicotinoids was building up in ground and surface water and recommended banning it outright.
Lisa Gue, a senior researcher at the David Suzuki Foundation, said it is "disturbing" that the agency is continuing to allow neonicotinoids at all given that the agency's scientists have concluded they cause unacceptable harm to any kinds of insects.Beatrice Olivastri, the executive director of Friends of the Earth Canada, said the agency's fragmented approach to reviewing the products is "nonsensical.
Neonicotinoids are used by farmers and hobby gardeners alike to manage pests like aphids and spider mites. Scientists blame the chemicals for weakening bees, making them more susceptible to disease and bad weather.The European Union banned neonicotinoids at the end of last year after scientists concluded there was no safe way to use them without hurting bees.
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