Neonic Coated Seeds
Neonic pesticide coated corn seeds are painted bright pink as a warning signal to handlers that the seeds are dangerous.
Neonic coated seeds, and other seeds coated in pesticides, are painted with bright colors as a warning signal to users that the seeds are dangerous. The coating cannot be washed off.
The Connecticut Department of Agriculture does not track how much corn sold in Connecticut is grown from neonic coated seed because, thanks to a loophole, pesticide seed coatings have been exempted from government regulation on the grounds that it is not labeled a pesticide when on a seed.
Over 800 million corn seeds are planted each year in Connecticut and virtually all (except organic) are coated with neonics. Pesticides on the seeds are being used preventively, whether the plant faces a pest problem or not.
Only 5% of that pesticide coating is taken up into the plant according to industry research. That 5% is found in all parts of the plant including the roots, leaves, pollen and nectar making the entire plant toxic to insects. The remaining 95% moves through soil, where it can remain for years, air, and into waterways.
Several studies including a recent one by Cornell University reports that using neonic coated seeds offers ‘no overall net income benefits’ to farmers and there are safer alternatives.
States that banned neonic coated seeds
New York and Vermont have barred the use of most neonic coated seeds. Both states borrowed a ‘verification of need’ model, successfully implemented in Québec, where farmers are allowed to use neonic coatings on seeds only if they obtain a ‘prescription’ from a certified agronomist demonstrating that the coatings would target an actual pest need.
The program reduced the use of neonic coatings to almost nothing within a few years without associated crop loss or switching to more harmful alternatives, a testament to the fact that most neonic use is not only destructive but unnecessary.