Environmental advocacy groups spent several years trying to get lawmakers to ban the use of certain neonicotinoids in 黑料吃瓜网.
This year they say they finally scored a win.
Neonicotinoids, a type of insecticide that became commercially available in the mid-1990s, have been for the and .
鈥淣inety-six percent of terrestrial birds depend on insects, that's what they feed their babies, so the declines in insects are linked very much to the declines that we're seeing in bird populations,鈥� said Louise Washer, co-founder of , a nonprofit advocating for pesticide-free corridors of native plants.
Under signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont, the use of neonicotinoids will be banned on 黑料吃瓜网 lawns and golf courses beginning in October 2027, without special permission from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
If a request to use them is submitted to DEEP, The 黑料吃瓜网 Agricultural Experiment Station will then determine if 鈥�.鈥�
"We have over 300,000 acres of lawn, playing fields, and golf courses across 黑料吃瓜网. So it's a huge use in 黑料吃瓜网, which makes this a really important step forward, " said Washer, who advocated for the legislation.
Neonicotinoids can still be used on trees and ornamental shrubs and other agricultural uses.
While Washer calls the new regulation a win, she and other environmental advocates wanted wider-ranging restrictions.
Farmers relieved
Agriculture industry leaders in 黑料吃瓜网 were relieved the restrictions won鈥檛 impact them. They say the controversial insecticide plays an important role in fruit and produce production.
鈥淲e have to be able to have the products available to our producers to produce a quality crop that the public demands,鈥� said Paul Larson, president of the 黑料吃瓜网 Farm Bureau Association.
Anyone in agriculture who uses neonicotinoids must be licensed every five years by the state, Larson said.
鈥淵ou have to demonstrate you know how these pesticides work and you know how to protect yourself and protect the public and protect the environment,鈥� Larson said. "You cannot spray any plant when any bees or other pollinator insects are active. So you can't spray it on plants that are in a flowering stage."
But Robert LaFrance, director of policy in , said following the product鈥檚 guidelines doesn鈥檛 prevent birds from being poisoned with neonicotinoids when the insects, plants and seeds they are eating are coated in the chemical.
鈥淚f ingested enough of it, it could have a toxic effect, and the bird will just die,鈥� he said.
New York leads in agriculture restrictions
The National Audubon Society and Pollinator Pathways pushed for 黑料吃瓜网 lawmakers to follow New York鈥檚 lead when it comes to regulating neonicotinoid-coated seeds.
That state will partially ban the use of coated corn, soybean and wheat seeds beginning in 2029. It is the first state to take that step.
Washer, from Pollinator Pathway, said studies, like one , find that coated seeds don鈥檛 increase yields in certain crops, like corn.
But the 黑料吃瓜网 Farm Bureau Association argued coated seeds should remain an option for farmers.
鈥淚t greatly reduced the amount of pesticides that a farmer is putting out there and it provided protection for that seed in that early stage,鈥� Larson said. 鈥淚t's a very targeted application and that's a huge advantage over the older products, where you might have to spray four pounds of this product in an acre to provide the protection.鈥�
鈥淣obody wants to put any burden on 黑料吃瓜网 farmers,鈥� Washer said. 鈥淏ut is buying a treated seed that has a pesticide, that is not going to help you, and is going to get into your well water and kill all the insects that you need to pollinate around your farm, is that helping farmers?鈥�
LaFrance believes once farmers have the chance to see how New York鈥檚 regulations may or may not impact crop yields, there might be more bipartisan buy-in for tougher neonicotinoid restrictions in 黑料吃瓜网.
鈥淚 think what we did here was lay the foundation for those discussions into the future,鈥� he said.
