Lawsuit launched against EPA

May 13, 2013

Beekeepers and environmental groups claim EPA has failed to protect bees

Several groups including the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claiming that the agency has failed to protect bees from neonicotinoid pesticides.

A spokesperson for the PAN said in a statement that the group had made attempts to warn the agency about the risks posed by neonicotinoids. "The group lays out its reasoning case by noting that neonicotinoid pesticides are a newer class of chemicals, which are applied to seeds before planting". Some believe that neonicotinoids negatively affect insects, like bees central nervous system, which may lead to death.

The group will attempt to link the approval of the neonicotinoids to market in the mid-2000s and the decline of bee colonies. The group will argue that the EPA acted outside the law by allowing conditional registration to pesticides.

The EU recently implemented a two-year moratorium on three pesticides, which may be linked to bee deaths.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.