Citing Bee Deaths, U.S. Appeals Court Vacates Transform Registration

Multiple media sources are reporting that the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated EPA approval of the pesticide sulfoxaflor, stating that the agency erred by granting the registration without additional studies regarding potential impact on honeybees.

Sulfoxaflor – developed and manufactured by Dow AgroSciences – is marketed under the trade names Transform and Closer.

Advertisement

The ruling is the result of a lawsuit filed in 2013 against the EPA by several organizations on behalf of the honey and beekeeping industries. EPA initially proposed to conditionally register sulfoxaflor and requested more studies to address concerns regarding the pesticide’s effects on bees. A few months later, EPA unconditionally registered the insecticides with certain restrictions and rate changes without obtaining any further studies.

The product registration is now remanded back to EPA to obtain further studies of the effects of sulfoxaflor on bees.

Dow AgroSciences issued a statement regarding the ruling, stating Dow AgroSciences respectfully disagrees with the Ninth Circuit’s conclusion that EPA’s registration of products containing sulfoxaflor should be vacated. Dow AgroSciences will work with EPA to implement the order and to promptly complete additional regulatory work to support the registration of the products. Dow AgroSciences is also considering its available options to challenge the Court’s decision.”

Top Articles
Make a Pre-Planting Checklist

For more information, click here for a report from Reuters.

0