The Use of Nicotine-based Pesticides Limited in Minnesota
Seeking to reverse a decline in bees and other pollinators, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton issued an executive order recently, that limits the use of nicotine-based pesticides, according to the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association.
The governor’s move won praise from environmentalists, but farm groups said it could hurt farmers financially.
Nicotine-based insecticides known as neonicotinoids are effective against a variety of pests, so they’re widely used, but a growing body of research shows the insecticides harm bees.
After a two-year review of 300 scientific studies, the state Agriculture Department decided restrictions were necessary, said Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson.
“Some of these are bold recommendations that have not been considered by any other state across the nation,” Frederickson said at a Minnesota State Fair news conference.
Frederickson says his department will ask the Legislature for authority to regulate seeds treated with pesticides before they’re planted. Right now the federal Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t regulate pesticides applied to seeds.
“Really nobody is regulating seed treatment and of course about 80% of the seeds that are planted today are treated with neonics,” Frederickson said.
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