Ontario Moves to Severely Restrict Use of Neonicotinoids in Bid to Protect Pollinators

摘要

In a move it said is intended to protect bees and other pollinators, Ontario is proposing to severely restrict the sale and use of neonicotinoid-treated seeds. The provincial government said it aims to cut the use of corn and soybean seeds treated with the insecticide by 80 percent by 2017. Proposed regulatory amendments would make seeds treated with the neonicotinoids imidacloprid, clothiani-din or thiamethoxam a new class of pesticides and establish rules for their sale and use, the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change said in a notice on the province's Environmental Registry. "A comprehensive Pollinator Health Action Plan would improve the state of pollinator health in Ontario and strengthen their populations. The plan we are proposing to develop will promote a sustainable food supply, healthy ecosystems and a strong economy," the ministry said. "As a first step, the province is proposing a change in the pesticides regulation to address the impact that pesticide exposure is having on pollinator health."