Pesticide News

U.S. beekeepers report second highest colony losses ever—with pesticides as major culprit

The Bee Informed Partnership reported in June the second-highest annual losses of honeybee colonies for the second year running. A preliminary report reveals that beekeepers lost nearly half (45.5%) of their colonies over the past year. Agricultural pesticides are a key driver of population decline for honeybees and other pollinators, like native bees and butterflies. […]

Texas grape growers sue over dicamba herbicide drift damage

Neal Newsom has battled many foes since 1986 to protect his 150 acres of grapevines near Plains, Texas, including cold weather and hailstorms. But in recent years he’s up against the agro-chemical dicamba herbicide sprayed on nearby GM cotton crops. Newsom filed a lawsuit recently with 56 Texas grape growers, seeking $1 million in damages […]

Government watchdog issues scathing report of Trump EPA abuses to approve dicamba weedkillers

Agency deliberately ignored policy to approve dicamba in 2018 A recent report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) details how senior officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ignored the agency’s policies to approve three dicamba herbicides—FeXapan, XtendiMax, and Engenia—in 2018. The OIG, a federal agency that reviews EPA decisions and policy for abuse […]

Iowa farmer leads class action lawsuit against makers of paraquat herbicide

First glyphosate herbicide was the target of lawsuits over its connection to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer, and now makers of paraquat herbicide are facing lawsuits because the weedkiller is linked to Parkinson’s disease. Doug Holliday, a farmer in Adair County, Iowa, is leading a nationwide class-action lawsuit against the manufacturers of paraquat. On behalf of himself […]

Stonyfield initiative helps win New York City legislation to eliminate toxic pesticides on public property

The country’s leading organic yogurt maker is leading efforts to change America’s parks and playfields into pesticide-free zones. The New York City Council passed legislation on Earth Day to remove pesticides on public lands except those allowed under organic standards. Stonyfield Organic’s #PlayFree initiative aims to convert Central Park in New York City, Prospect Park […]