The National Onion Association (NOA) has taken a stand against a petition to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking government regulation of commonly treated seeds used in the onion industry. Petitioners believe that coated seeds create dust clouds during application that kill nearby bee populations.
In a letter to the EPA, the NOA made the case that the petition provided no hard evidence that coated seeds kill bee populations. The NOA also mentioned that insecticide-coated seeds have helped rid America’s onion fields of maggots and wireworms in the most environmentally sound manner possible, adding that coated seeds help reduce the amount of insecticide application and reduce farmworkers’ exposure to insecticides.
