Court questions US EPA’s analysis of bee risks from sulfoxaflor

摘要

A panel of three US federal judges this week appeared sympathetic to beekeepers seeking to block the EPA’s registration of Dow AgroSciences’ insecticide, sulfoxaflor, showing scepticism that the Agency had adequately assessed the potential harm the pesticide may cause bees. The closely watched case could have serious ramifications for the EPA’s effort to ensure bees and other pollinators are protected from legal pesticide uses. It is the first challenge of a pesticide registration that relied upon the Agency’s new framework for assessing risks to pollinators. The dispute centres on the EPA’s decision in May 2013 to grant Dow an unconditional registration for sulfoxaflor, permitting use on a wide array of crops – including canola, soybeans, fruits and leafy vegetables – to control piercing and sucking insects. The EPA said that it had fully evaluated the insecticide’s potential impacts on bees and that the final label included “robust terms” for protecting bees and other pollinators.