NPC submits comments on EPA bee protection proposal
The U.S. National Potato Council (NPC) has submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on a current proposal intended to protect bee health.
NPC believes the proposal will undermine the ability of potato growers to utilize key active ingredients that are core components of modern Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs and fail to provide improvements for bee colonies.
In the letter, NPC urged EPA to develop a clear process for extensive input by experts and key stakeholders to go over several uncertainties in the proposal before rushing to implement regulatory changes by 2016.
The failure to solicit further stakeholder input will harm growers and limit agriculture's ability to work cooperatively with bee keepers. Growers focus on sound stewardship of crop protection chemicals and believe that there are many factors potentially impacting the health of bee hives. NPC is in support of a strong research agenda by EPA that will establish all impacting factors on bee health rather than singling out pesticide use.
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Steps to Admit Fresh Potatoes into the WIC Program: NPC Statement
