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National Cotton Council weighs in on neonic study

Cotton1The National Cotton Council says it will work with the EPA, making sure it has the latest information about honeybee risks from “neo-nic” insecticides, following a report that one of them may harm bees. Don Parker, manager of Integrated Pest Management for the Cotton Council, tells Brownfield the EPA’s assessment of imidacloprid has some shortcomings, “One of the documents that EPA had referenced in association with bee attractiveness to crops was a USDA document and they had an incorrect version of it, an older version of it, which has since been revised.” He says the revision shows that honeybees are not as attracted to cotton pollen and don’t really collect it.

Parker tells Brownfield that imidacloprid is very important in controlling damaging insects in cotton, “There are many insects in cotton, the thrips, aphids, plant bugs and such that are piercing and sucking insects that are very difficult to control and this product has given us a very safe means to be able to control those pests.” It comes in seed treatments, which Parker says the EPA did not identify as a pollinator risk, and as a foliar treatment.

Parker says the National Cotton Council is encouraged by a study released last week in Canada, “We’re aware that Canada has recently released some different information that does not identify concerns for pollinators around the neonics and we are trying to look more into the studies that they have just released with that as well.”

Parker says the EPA has made clear that it will be doing more study before it issues a final report. This is the first of several neonics that the EPA will be assessing for pollinator risks.

AUDIO:  Interview with Don Parker

 

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