Coalition presses for all retailers to make commitment to protect bees (WASHINGTON, D.C., December 3, 2015) — Home Depot (NYSE: HD), the world’s largest home-improvement chain, has announced that it has removed neonicotinoid pesticides, a leading driver of global bee declines, from 80 percent of its flowering plants and that it will complete its phase-out in
Beatrice Olivastri, CEO, Friends of the Earth Canada’s said: “There’s a fox in the chicken coop and the fox is the pesticide manufacturers reaping huge profits from farmers. It does appear there’s virtually no benefit but vast hazards to our environment from neonicotinoids. If the Canadian government can’t get its act together to do its
(Toronto, ON November 25, 2014) Today, Ontario announced North America’s first phase down of bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides used to coat corn and soy seeds. This decision should deliver a permanent reduction of 80 percent of neonicotinoids currently used to coat corn and soy seeds. “We congratulate Ontario for its decision to control these systemic neurotoxin
In a North American first, the Ontario government has introduced their plan to permanently reduce use of systemic neurotoxin pesticides by 80% by 2017. They’ve picked the biggest opportunity in Ontario to make change to protect pollinator health. Of the almost seven million acres of field crops planted each year in Ontario, the two largest
(OTTAWA, ON., October 30, 2014) – Environmental organizations are calling on Health Canada to stop approving systemic pesticides that are toxic to bees and threaten to interfere with ecosystem functioning. The most widely used group of systemic pesticides, neonicotinoids, have come under increased scrutiny as a contributing factor in large-scale bee die-offs and other harmful effects.
On October 29, 2014, demonstrators in Ottawa, Ontario and Windsor, Ontario swarmed Lowe’s stores to send the retailer a strong message: its time to remove plants and seeds treated with bee-harming pesticides from your shelves! Despite science showing that plants and seeds treated with neonicotinoid pesticides are contributing to a decline in bee populations, and other retailers across North America
Sometime in the next three days, you may find yourself face to face with a bumble bee, a witch, a skeleton or some other spooky Halloween creature that’s asking you and your employer to do your part to save the bees. In the lead-up to Halloween 2014, Friends of the Earth and millions of its
Last week, I applauded Ontario’s Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal for his decision to restrict the use of neoniotinoids on farmers’ fields. To be clear, I would prefer an outright ban, but this is an important and pragmatic step to substantially reduce use of these bee-killing pesticides and shows leadership on the North American stage. According
Congratulations to Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal – he’s fast out of the gate on the Government’s election promise to restrict use of neonicotinoids. Friends of the Earth is pleased to see Ontario move on neonics. The Minister is planning a licensing system to be in place by Fall 2014 that limits the blanket use of
On March 17, 2014, Friends of the Earth Canada sent letters to the four biggest garden centre retailers in Canada, asking them to: Commit to not sell nursery bedding plants and vegetable plants pre-treated with neonicotinoids Institute a corporate policy that bans use of neonics on and in their facilities and throughout their supply chain,
