TORONTO — Ecojustice lawyer, Charles Hatt, reacts to the PMRA’s announcement:
The Pest Management Regulatory Agency announced that it would phase out a neonicotinoid pesticide that poses unsustainable environmental risks, and said it will review other neonicotinoids (Clothianidin and Thiamethoxam) for the same risks.
Charles Hatt, Ecojustice lawyer said:
“The PMRA is finally beginning to acknowledge the grave environmental risks posed by widespread use of neonicotinoids in Canada. The science shows that neonicotinoids are now found throughout our environment, posing risks not only to pollinators, but also to aquatic invertebrates and the fish, birds, and other animals that rely on them as a food source. We urge the PMRA to uphold the standards in the Pest Control Products Act and ensure that no harm comes to Canadians, our environment, or future generations from the use of neonicotinoid pesticides.”
About
Ecojustice is a Canadian charity that goes to court to enforce and strengthen Canada’s environmental laws on behalf of people and the planet.
In July 2016 Ecojustice lawyers, filed two lawsuits on behalf of the David Suzuki Foundation, Friends of the Earth Canada, Ontario Nature and the Wilderness Committee. The lawsuits challenged the PMRA’s ongoing practice of registering two neonicotinoid pesticides used extensively in agriculture – Clothianidin and Thiamethoxam – without the scientific information required to understand their risks to pollinators. These lawsuits are ongoing.
Today the PMRA announced a proposed decision to phase out the neonicotinoid Imidacloprid from agricultural and other outdoor uses over several years because of unsustainable risks to aquatic invertebrates. Concurrently, the PMRA announced that Clothianidin and Thiamethoxam would undergo special reviews to assess similar risks. Meanwhile, all three neonicotinoid pesticides have been under re-evaluation for years regarding the risks they pose to pollinators.