USDA scientists researching pesticides, notably glyphosate herbicide as well as neonicotinoid insecticides, are being “harassed” by management and finding their work “censored or suppressed,” environmentalist groups say in a letter asking for an official investigation. Sent to USDA Inspector General Phyllis Fong and the leaders of the White House Task Force on Pollinator Health, the letter references allegations published in March by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The organisation says that more than ten USDA scientists researching agricultural chemicals have faced consequences or investigations when their work has questioned the health and safety of pesticides. These scientists have been “ordered to retract studies, water down findings, remove their name from authorship and endure long indefinite delays in approving publication of papers that may be controversial”, according to the PEER. The group also says that scientists targeted by industry complaints “find themselves subjected to disruptive investigations, disapprovals of formerly routine requests,
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