Bayer Denies Killing Honeybees with Poisonous Pesticide

Last week, Change.org reported on a shady little arrangement between Bayer CropScience and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A leaked EPA document (pdf) shows that the agency is aware that Bayer's "Poncho" pesticide may be harming honeybees, but refuses to take any action to ban the chemical in question. Now Bayer is speaking out, claiming that Poncho — also known as clothianidin — is perfectly safe for America's pollinators. Sounds like Bayer is honey-coating the chemical's dangers.

Understanding just how preposterous Bayer's claim is requires a little bit of back story. So here's the buzz: Back in 2007, Bayer CropScience started producing Poncho, a potent pesticide. While the company hadn't conducted any studies analyzing this chemical's potential impacts on honeybees, the EPA issued Poncho a "partial registration." In other words, Bayer could start selling thousands of pounds of the product immediately, but had to eventually conduct an environmental impact statement. Sounds shady — and it is — but the EPA does this with a lot of chemical pesticides and herbicides.

In 2010, Bayer submitted its study to the EPA, claiming that Poncho posed no threat to honeybees. The EPA accepted the study and fully registered Poncho in early 2010. However, a recently leaked internal document from the EPA (pdf) shows that the agency's own scientists reviewed Bayer's study and deemed it unacceptable. Bayer's scientists evaluated the wrong crop, didn't use proper controls, and failed to study Poncho over a long enough period of time. The flawed study is what prompted a coalition of environmental groups to call for the immediate removal of Poncho from the marketplace.

And that brings us to Bayer's response to the whole affair. Despite a leaked document and the EPA's own scientists calling Bayer's study flawed, according to Grist, the company denies that Poncho may have any negative impacts on honeybees. From Bayer's Web site (as quoted in Grist): "The study referenced in the document is important research, conducted by independent experts and published in a major peer-reviewed scientific journal. The long-term field study conducted in accordance with Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) by independent experts using clothianidin-treated seed showed that there were no effects on bee mortality, weight gain, worker longevity, brood development, honey yield, and over-winter survival. The EPA reviewed and approved the study protocol prior to its initiation and it was peer-reviewed and published in the Journal of Economic Entomology."

Bayer claims the study was conducted by "independent experts," but in reality, the industrial ag company funded the research. And the EPA may have "reviewed and approved the study protocol," but a leaked internal document shows that the agency's own scientists believe the research to be flawed and thus, invalid.

Honeybees may be feeling the biggest effects of the EPA's and Bayer's gross negligence: Since 2006, beekeepers have reported losing 30 to 90 percent of their hives due to Colony Collapse Disorder, a phenomenon where bees mysteriously leave the hive, never to return. While scientists haven't fully figured out what's causing CCD, most experts believe it to be a variety of factors — pesticides being one of them. A pesticide whose safety hasn't been adequately studied, therefore, doesn't bode well for beleaguered bees.

It doesn't bode well for food security, either. Honeybees are responsible for producing about one-third of America's food supply through pollination. Eliminate this vital workforce and we'll all be seeing a lot less produce on our plates.

Big Ag and government agencies like the EPA have been in bed together for far too long. It's time for the EPA to stop turning a blind eye to poisonous pesticides and actually do what its name suggests — protect the environment. A coalition of environmental non-profits, scientists, and beekeepers are calling on the EPA to protect honeybees' health. You can join the coalition's cause by signing Pesticide Action Network's petition asking the agency to immediately remove Poncho from the marketplace until a thorough, scientific study is conducted that proves the pesticide to be safe for honeybees.

Photo credit: MikeSheridan89 via Flickr