Back
May 07, 2020
ASA submitted comments to EPA this week in support of the registration review of three neonicotinoids commonly used by U.S. soy growers.
In the comments, ASA reiterated that it’s critical for tools like imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam to remain available to farmers to continue the safe and affordable production of food, as insects are an enormous source of crop loss domestically and globally.
“Pesticides are only one of the tools we use to do that, but they are important. With the right products available, growers can produce more abundant and affordable products while reducing impacts to the environment,” ASA states.
ASA says the tools are valuable and sited a 2014 study finding if neonicotinoids were significantly restricted or unavailable, it would result in an annual net increase of $848 million for U.S. growers, more than $100 million of which would fall on soybean farmers.
“We rely on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to thoroughly review crop protection tools for their availability, benefits, and impact on human health and the environment,” ASA states. “Any efforts to make this process duplicative and more burdensome without any demonstrated benefit to human health or the environment should be rejected.” Read the full comments here.
