[honeylove]

Good news for our bees!
http://yubanet.com/enviro/Big-Win-for-Bees-Judge-Pulls-Toxic-Pesticide-Movento.php

 

[honeylove]

more good news, if my bees survive the winter!
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_660336.html

 

[devdog108]

Here is what scares the heck outta me" a quote from the article:

EPA admitted to approving the pesticide illegally, but argued that its violations of the law should have no consequences. The Court disagreed and ordered the pesticide to be taken off the market until it has been properly evaluated. Bayer should not be permitted to run what amounts to an uncontrolled experiment on bees across the country without full consideration of the consequences.”

In June 2008, EPA approved Movento for nationwide use on hundreds of different crops, including apples, pears, peaches, oranges, tomatoes, grapes, strawberries, almonds, and spinach. The approval process went forward without the advance notice and opportunity for public comment that is required by federal law and EPA’s own regulations. In addition, EPA failed to evaluate fully the potential damage to the nation’s already beleaguered bee populations or conduct the required analysis of the pesticide’s economic, environmental, and social costs.

 

[honeylove]

yup. read the file from the lawsuit. if only this had happened with other stuff..anyhow, about time. to quote Dave Hackenberg, the Environmental Whatever!!!:applause:

 

[FindlayBee]

Isn't it nice to know that Federal Agencies are not accountable?

 

[CentralPAguy]

What a wonderful ruling. If this is related to CCD, maybe, the big Commercial beeks will be able to see their bee populations bounce back.

 

[Beeslave]

This is good news but just because it is pulled off the shelf doesn't remove what is already in the soil. I can't recall the study but it was testing on plum trees and imidalcrid. Chemical applied one year and not the next. The next year had a higher toxicity level in the pollen and nectar than the year it was applied. I think it was a Penn State study 2 yrs. ago.

 

[Delta Bay]

A pesticide that could be dangerously toxic to America’s honey bees must be pulled from store shelves

Keep in mind that plenty of this stuff has already been bought at the retail level. Unless there has been a recall it will be used by farmers until already purchased supplies are used up.

 

[Omie]

U.S. District Court Judge Denise Cote on Dec. 23 ordered the Environmental Protection Agency 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 Jan. 15 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.

What bothers me is: "(Judge) Cote said the EPA didn’t properly seek comments or publicize the review process. The judge in New York ordered the ruling stayed until Jan. 15 and sent the matter back to the EPA."

Doesn't that mean that as soon as they comply with those technicalities of publicizing their 'review processes' then the permission for use could go through again? And what's this about Jan 15th?

 

[honeylove]

Perhaps that depends on whether they find that statement true ( about it being safe) . Here we go again.

 

[honeylove]

Regarding the toxic stuff remaining in the soil, this is true, now would be a good time to explore the "lower risk alternatives".