Pollinators Need More Than a Lotto Ticket

April 8, 2021, Author: Karin Winegar, Letter to Editor, Mpls Tribune: It’s going to take more than a bumble bee lottery scratch off to save pollinators. In the current legislative session, pollinator advocates, farmers, scientists and conservationists introduced a record number of bills regarding the use of toxic pesticides to the Minnesota legislature. 

A coalition of nearly 40 national and local conservation groups including the Xerces Society, Land Stewardship Project, and Audubon Society brought forward five bills intended to abate or halt pesticide exposure in urban and rural areas, backyards, school yards, croplands, wildlife refuges and communities. 

Among their efforts to enact environmentally protective legislation are bills banning chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate pesticide known for its damaging effects on the human nervous system, especially in children. It is highly toxic to animals and pollinators and is now a common contaminate in U.S. drinking water.

Another key effort by the coalition is legislation that would restrict the use and disposal of pesticide-coated corn and soy seed treated with neonicotinoids, a systemic pesticide. (“Neonics” have been banned for outdoor use by the European Union since 2018).  Neonicotinoids remain the most common pesticides in Minnesota agriculture. Currently, pesticide-coated seeds are not handled as hazards in Minnesota since they fall into the same loophole category with pesticide-treated wood, plants, and seeds called “treated articles.”

An additional proposal would ban both neonicotinoids and chlorpyrifos from use in wildlife refuges, and another would give local communities jurisdiction over pesticide use for their own communities.

The proposed environmentally protective bills are facing opposition largely by Republican legislators. Rep. John Burkel (Dist. 1A) wanted to strip the treated seed provisions out of the Minnesota agriculture omnibus bill.  Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen (Dist. 8) is trying to strip all provisions in the environment bills for pollinator protections including the successful Lawns to Legumes program. These and other legislators, according to coalition members, are influenced by multi-billion dollar agriculture and pesticide companies. (Read more here)

Research shows the current lack of adequate federal or state safeguards and enforcement in the handling, use and disposal of pesticides have resulted in widespread exposure of these carcinogenic substances, documented water contamination, food contamination, lethal and sublethal effects to pollinators, birds, deer, wildlife and humans. (read more effects on birds) (read more effects on white tailed deer)

Minnesota lags behind other states in several respects such as imposing a ban on chlorpyrifos, which has been adopted by Hawaii and California. In August 2018, a federal court ruled that the EPA must ban chlorpyrifos nationwide, and New York is leading a coalition of state attorneys general in suing the EPA for not yet enforcing a nationwide ban.

Although educational efforts to increase public awareness of the dangers of pesticide remain important, it’s not enough - legislation is required to adequately address insecticide pollution.  

According to agricultural ecologists in the coalition, there are alternate methods to synthetic chemical use available to farmers, including regenerative practices. These non-toxic methods emphasize soil health, protecting pollinators and water quality and are increasing in popularity.

Farmer Lori Cox, owner of Roots Return Heritage Farm in Carver Minnesota, uses these chemical-free methods. Cox testified over the past month in both the agriculture and environmental committees of the Minnesota legislature to help pass this legislation.

“Some ag sectors believe it is a threat to their revenue, others don’t know how to make a change and it is difficult for them,” she said, explaining the resistance. “If Minnesota ag is to succeed at all, Covid has taught us it needs to succeed not just in certain sectors. To have a good, workable, accessible, profitable ag system throughout Minnesota, we have to grow it locally which includes our pollinator communities. The new group of emerging farmers in the last decade are important in our own communities and food sheds. The 2019 Minnesota Department of Agriculture study defined the profile of our new emerging farmer, and it spoke of these alternative ways, caring for the land and no use of chemicals.”

There’s an urgency in Lori’s voice that matches the urgency of beekeeper and President of Pollinator Stewardship Council, Steve Ellis “the science is here, and we have seen the evidence in our state and around the world. We are running out of time – it’s long past time for Minnesota to step up and take action as pollinator species continue to decline at disturbing rates.”