Stopping Neonicotinoid Pesticides
Center for Food Safety has successfully challenged EPA’s approval of bee-toxic neonicotinoid pesticides, securing major victories for pollinators, endangered species, and the environment
What Are Neonicotinoids?
Neonicotinoids, often called “neonics,” are a class of insecticides chemically similar to nicotine that kill insects by disrupting their nervous systems. First introduced in the 1990s, they have rapidly become the most widely used class of insecticides in the world.
Peer-reviewed studies has found neonicotinoids to be especially harmful to bees and birds, aquatic organisms, and endangered species. Because these pesticides persist in soil and water, their impacts often extend far beyond the fields where they are applied.
Litigation to Stop Neonicotinoid Pesticides
Between 2007 and 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued registrations for 59 neonicotinoid pesticides (neonics) containing the ingredients clothianidin and thiamethoxam.
In 2013, Center for Food Safety, beekeepers, and allied organizations challenged EPA’s approval of these dozens of neonic pesticide products because the agency failed to evaluate their impacts on pollinators and endangered species in the case s Ellis v. Housenger.
In a major 2017 victory, a federal court ruled that EPA did indeed violate the Endangered Species Act when it approved the 59 neonicotinoid pesticide registrations without required protections for imperiled wildlife.
Subsequent litigation and settlement agreements in the case required EPA to evaluate the impacts of major neonicotinoids on endangered species and implement additional safeguards. In 2019, the EPA announced the cancellation of 12 neonic pesticide products as a result of our victory.
In 2022, EPA released its final biological evaluations of several neonics as required by our victory in Ellis. It found that each neonic is likely to adversely affect the vast majority of America’s endangered species—1,225 to 1,445 species in all. In 2023, further EPA analysis found that just three of the most widely used neonicotinoids (clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and imidacloprid) are putting more than 200 endangered species at risk of extinction.
Neonicotinoids and Our Work
Pollinators play an essential role in food production, biodiversity, and ecosystem health. Many crops rely on bees and other pollinators for successful reproduction.
Neonicotinoids are highly toxic to insects and other pollinators. They are active ingredients in a number of pesticide products and are also applied as a common seed treatment. The neonic seed coating is absorbed by the growing seedling and makes the entire plant toxic. Neonics are persistent in the environment and can end up in pollen, nectar, soil, dust, and waterways after application.
Studies have linked these pesticides to harm in bees, butterflies, aquatic organisms, birds, and other wildlife. Bees and other pollinators are harmed by exposure to neonic-contaminated nectar and pollen, with studies demonstrating disruptions in flight ability, impaired growth and reproduction as well as weakened immunity. Neonic-contaminated seed dust generated during planting operations causes huge bee kills, while pollinators also die from direct exposure to spray. Birds are also at risk, and can sensitive songbirds can die from eating just one treated seed.
Neonics break down very slowly in the environment, and run off into waterways after being applied, where they also threaten aquatic organisms.
Center for Food Safety’s legal and policy work has resulted in major court victories, product cancellations, and further protections for pollinators and other vulnerable species. In Ellis, we led successful litigation challenging EPA’s approval of neonicotinoid pesticides and the agency’s failure to evaluate their impacts on pollinators and endangered species, resulting in the cancellation of a dozen neonicotinoid pesticide products. Our litigation helped compel EPA’s first comprehensive assessment of neonicotinoids’ impacts on federally protected wildlife and plants. We’ve also led the charge to force the EPA to regulate neonicotinoid-treated seeds and challenged the government’s decision to allow the use of neonicotinoids on National Wildlife Refuges.
