Calling all Beekeepers, bee protectors and friends of pollinators.
The Authority overseeing chemical use in Australia, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), is now accepting submissions for its review on the Reconsideration of Neonicotinoid Approvals and Registrations.
Neonicotinoids, also known as neonics, are a broad-spectrum pesticide targeting the central nervous system of bees and other pollinating insects. Neonicotinoids are systemic poisons that travel throughout a plant via its vascular system distributing the chemical to all parts of the plant tissue, including its nectar and pollen.
Neonicotinoids have been linked to colony collapse disorder in the US and can alter other aspects of a bee’s biology. This includes flight ability, learning and memory ability, and body/colony temperature regulation. Further research demonstrates reduced capacity of bee species to establish new populations in the year following exposure.
In addition to impacting bees, research shows neonics can persist in the soil for months or years after use and has been found in waterways, rivers, streams, groundwater and puddles. In December 2013 the European Union reduced the use of noenicitinoids on bee attractive plants and in 2016 the US phased out all noenicitinoids from National Wildlife Refuges lands.
Neonicotinoids often used on canola crops are also ending up contaminating honey.
The APVMA is calling this review because of new scientific informational about risks to the environment (including to non-target invertebrates, birds, and small mammals), and to ensure safety instructions on products meet contemporary standards. There is also a need to ensure products meet contemporary standards, including those outlined in the APVMA Pollinator risk assessment and Spray drift management frameworks.
The APVMA will only accept submissions that fall within the scope of this review.
Submissions close on 3 February 2020
Submissions can be sent to:
Chemical Review
Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority
GPO Box 3262
SYDNEY NSW 2001
Phone:+61 2 6770 2400
Email:chemicalreview@apvma.gov.au