NYS Signs Nation-Leading Legislation to Safeguard Residents From Harmful Pesticides

Last week, New York State signed into law Legislation S.1856-A/A.7640, nation-leading legislation proactively protecting the environment from potentially harmful toxins.

The legislation prohibits the use of specific neonicotinoid pesticide (neonics) treated corn, soybean, or wheat seeds and neonicotinoid pesticides for outdoor ornamental plants and turfs, creating important protections for New York's pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.

The ban will protect residents, the environment, and essential pollinators while fostering a thriving ecosystem that prioritizes sustainable farming and agricultural practices.

"The EPA recently found that neonicotinoid pesticides are driving more than 200 species towards extinction, marking them as the most ecologically destructive pesticides since DDT," says State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said. 

New York is committed to promoting the health and recovery of pollinator populations, as highlighted in the State's Pollinator Protection Plan (PDF). Pollinators contribute substantially to New York's environment and economy. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pollinators provide approximately $344 million worth of pollination services to New York and add $29 billion in value to crop production nationally each year. The state's ability to produce crops such as apples, grapes, cherries, onions, pumpkins, and cauliflower relies heavily on the presence of pollinators.

This new law will build on the action the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has already taken to restrict the use of many neonics and work with registrants to narrow the uses of many of these products to protect pollinators or state resources.

"By restricting wasteful neonic use, NY is protecting not only pollinators but also insect predators that farmers count on for natural pest control and soil microbial life critical for capturing carbon and nutrient cycling," Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY) Policy Manager Katie Baildon says. "NOFA-NY is celebrating this important win that will significantly curb contamination of our environment, our bodies and the entire NY food system."

The new legislation will allow sufficient time for innovative research on alternatives and the development of more cost-effective products that are less harmful to the environment. After this period, the use of neonicotinoids will be subject to science-based evaluations and waiver provisions to assist farm and agriculture operations in the transition to this new program.

Last year, DEC took action to limit the unrestricted use of pesticides that can harm bee and other pollinator populations by reclassifying certain products containing the neonicotinoid (neonic) insecticides imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, and acetamiprid as "restricted use" to ensure applications are limited to trained pesticide applicators in specific situations.

"Over the last decade, neonics have come under increasing scrutiny because of their negative impacts on birds, pollinators, other wildlife, and people," says National Audubon Society Senior Policy Manager Erin McGrath. "Science has shown us that even low doses of neonics can prevent songbirds from orienting themselves for their migration, cause significant weight loss, and interfere with their reproductive success. Due to these impacts, the use of neonicotinoid insecticides should be greatly reduced to help reverse the steep declines observed in many bird populations."

New York State is home to over 33,000 farms producing some of the world's best food and beverages. 

Photo Credit: S.R. Rosenberg