Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association

Bayer ‘Disappointed’ in Ruling on Chemical That May Harm Bees

The Xerces Society and Pollinator Protection Big Win for Bees

By Alan Bjerga

December 29, 2009 (Bloomberg) -- A Bayer AG unit is “disappointed” by a U.S. judge’s ruling that may prevent distribution of its spirotetramat insecticide, a spokesman said. Environmental groups say the chemical causes harm to honey bees.

U.S. District Court Judge Denise Cote on December 23, 2009 ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to rescind approval for spirotetramat, which inhibits cell reproduction in insects. Cote said the EPA didn’t properly seek comments or publicize the review process. The judge in New York ordered the ruling stayed until January 15, 2010 and sent the matter back to the EPA.

Spirotetramat, sold under various names including Movento, was approved for use in the U.S. last year, even though the agency was aware of its potential harm to bees, Cote said. The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental organization in New York, and the Xerces Society, a Portland, Oregon, a wildlife conservation group, challenged the EPA’s actions.

The insecticide is fit for use and the ruling is based on EPA processes rather than product safety, Jack Boyne, a spokesman for Bayer CropScience LP, a unit of the Leverkusen, Germany-based company, said in a statement. The chemical “has shown excellent performance with regard to bee safety,” he said. Bayer is “evaluating our options”on how to respond to Cote’s ruling, he said.

Bees pollinate $15 billion of U.S. plants each year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  Pest killers have been linked to honey bee colony collapse disorder, or mass deaths of the insects, which have been reported since 2006. Pest killers have been linked to honey bee colony collapse disorder, or mass deaths of the insects, which have been reported since 2006.

Viruses, mites, pesticides, and poor bee treatment have been suggested as primary causes of the disorder, which has been reported in at least thirty-five states, as well as in Europe and Asia.

The Bayer insecticide was approved in Australia in August, and the company said at the time that it also had been cleared for use in Canada and Austria.

Information provided by Eric Mader, National Pollinator Outreach Coordinator, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. Our Pollinator Conservation Program works to support the sustainability and profitability of farms while protecting pollinator insects. To join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our work, please visit www.xerces.org.