Two family-owned honey producers in Ontario have proposed a lawsuit against pesticide producers Bayer AG and Syngenta AG, which are being blamed for bee deaths.
The two honey producers are seeking $450 million in damages to make up for significant losses by Canadian beekeepers due to the use of certain pesticides since 2006.
Neonicotinoids are a preventative pesticide used on crops or coated on seeds before they are planted, which are then picked up by insects, including bees, when plants absorb the pesticide into their leaves, flowers, pollen and nectar.
“Neonicotinoids are among the most widely used insecticides in Canada and pose serious risks to the bee population primarily because of their persistence in crops and soil, and their potency at low concentrations,” said the statement. “Those properties, coupled with the neonicotinoids’ widespread use in many cropping systems and presence in pollen and nectar, resulted in a chronic, continuing and lethal exposure to the bee population.”
The statement of claim alleges that the two pesticide companies were negligent when developing and distributing the pesticides, and they did not prevent damages to beekeepers. The statement also says the companies should have known the pesticides would pose a risk to the bee population. However, the federal government has conditionally approved several pesticide products that contain neonicotinoids made by Bayer and Syngenta. The allegations have not been tested in court.
