Legislative Policy

The legislature has raised the bill HB6916 An Act Concerning the Use of Neonicotinoids. This bill is similar to the New York Birds & Bees Protection Act and if passed would address two high harm, low benefit uses of neonics in Connecticut. The bill restricts use on lawns, golf courses and ornamental landscape plants and it restricts the use of three coated agricultural seeds shown to not increase yields for farmers: corn, soybean, and wheat.

Common Concerns about HB6916 An Act Concerning the Use of Neonicotinoids

“Removing neonics takes a tool out of the toolbox for landscapers and farmers.” HB 6916 provides DEEP the authority to grant emergency exemptions for use against pests, including invasive insects, that threaten human health or the environment. For the seeds portion, the bill provides that farmers can request a waiver for use when merited by the presence of pest pressure. This part of the bill effectively keeps the tool in the toolbox for users.
"Imidacloprid is needed for use on eastern hemlocks to treat for woolly adelgid and other potential threats by invasive insects.” Again, the bill grants power to DEEP in consultation with CAES to determine when an emergency waiver is needed for an invasive pest. No request by an individual or group is required. As the bill is written, an exemption for use on woolly adelgid could be exercised right away.
“Use on orchards or pumpkins will be affected.” No agricultural uses other than on corn, soybean, wheat and outdoor uses on ornamental plants are affected by this bill. The bill does not affect orchards, for example, or any growers of fruits or vegetables.
“Indoor uses, veterinary uses, treatment for wood will be affected.” Uses on wood or foundations, indoor uses, uses for veterinary purposes, or any other such uses that are not mentioned in the bill are not affected by it.
“Seed prices will increase for farmers and/or they won’t be able to find seed without neonic treatments.” To address this concern, we can look to Quebec which banned the use of neonic-treated row crop seed in 2019. Since Quebec farmers have individual contracts with seed companies, seed prices are not generally published. However, in conversations with farmers in Quebec and the seed dealers Dekalb (Bayer) and Pioneer (Corteva), the two largest seed conglomerates in the world, Quebec Agronomist, Louis Robert, reports:

A bag of corn seed generally costs between about CAD 360 and CAD 370. Farmers who purchase insecticide-free seed save between CAD 5 and CAD 10. So, it's not a significant savings, but prices certainly haven't increased.

Louis's account corroborates what conventional farmers from Quebec explained during a farmer panel last year in Vermont. Here's the key exchange, beginning at 53:40, where those farmers are talking about access to seeds and price.

Renaud (Farmer): “Don’t be fooled because all the seed suppliers can turn around quickly and provide insecticide free seed in no time actually. There are a lot of marketing strategies to scare people that they need to use neonics, but you shouldn't be bothered with that. They can turn around pretty quickly and provide insecticide free seed. . . . It’s never more expensive to use non-treated seed. But depending on the company, sometimes there’s no difference in cost. But most of the time you’ll see a cost advantage of $10-20 per bag.”
Francis (Farmer): “ We started like ten years ago. At the beginning it was harder to get non-treated seeds; we had to ask the dealer to get it. For grain corn was easy, but for silage corn it was hard so we started using untreated seed for silage about 4 or 5 years [ago] because it was not available; but for 2024 we didn’t ask the dealer and he just asked us if we wanted treated or not treated. So it was pretty easy. . . For my farm it’s around $10-20 less per bag Canadian. So it’s cheaper.”
Stephane (Farmer): Louis Robert translates: “He’s saying that he did not have huge problems with sourcing seed without insecticide as long as you put your order early on in the season in the fall then you will not have any problem with getting the seed you need.”

6. "Replant guarantees could be lost.” The big three seed companies working in Quebec provide the same replant guarantee on all their corn seeds. It doesn't matter whether the seeds are treated with an insecticide. This includes Dekalb (Bayer) and Pioneer (Corteva). Unfortunately, these guarantees don't appear to be memorialized in formal documents. Quebec agronomist Louis Robert described replant guarantees as sufficiently solid that seed representatives and farmers don't seem to discuss them much.

Louis Robert is available to discuss the experiences of farmers in Quebec. Please email me at info@norwalkriver.org and I will arrange a call.

Reasons to Support Connecticut Regulations on Neonicotinoid (Neonics) Insecticides

Evidence of Neonic Contamination in Connecticut

United States Geological Survey (USGS) data show harmful levels of neonics in Connecticut’s water.

In 2016, 76 of 155 surface water samples exceeded safe benchmarks for aquatic life in a statewide survey.
Norwalk River: Over 50% of samples have shown high neonic levels since 2013.
Frequency of detection of imidacloprid and concentrations of imidacloprid are increasing over time.

2024 Pollinator Pathway, Inc funded water quality data collected from streams in Fairfield County near hotspots for turfgrass use.

Neonics detected in 31/50 samples, all exceeded safe benchmarks for aquatic life.

UConn released a report in January 2025, Neonics in Connecticut Waters, compiling and assessing the data above.

EPA and USGS Findings on Neonicotinoid Harm

The EPA’s Biological Evaluations show that common neonics—clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam—pose significant risks to over 1,300 listed and endangered species.

Clothianidin: Likely harms 67% of 1700 listed species and 56% of critical habitats.
Imidacloprid: Likely harms 79% of species and 83% of critical habitats.
Thiamethoxam: Likely harms 77% of species and 81% of critical habitats.

USGS study indicates that neonicotinoid mixtures pose greater than expected risks to stream health.

However, Federal Limitations in Pesticide Regulation according to EPA Persist:

The Agency has had trouble meeting its obligations for the thousands of pesticide actions it completes annually under FIFRA. The entire process can take 6-12 years for a single pesticide. (1)

The Agency has met those obligations for less than 5% of the thousands of pesticide actions it completes annually under FIFRA, creating legal vulnerabilities, the potential for adverse impacts to listed species, and uncertainty for farmers and other pesticide users (2)

Its resources limit the agency’s ability to assess pesticide impacts to listed species and their habitat. (3) (4) (5)

EPA's Insecticide Strategy does not address non-agricultural uses of neonics, such as on turfgrass and ornamentals, which can contribute substantially to environmental contamination.
In 2020 EPA advised homeowners not to use neonicotinoids and proposed a ban on the use of imidacloprid on residential lawns and turf that has not yet been established.
Due to an exploited loophole, EPA does not currently recognize seed treatments as pesticides. As such, the estimated 95% of the insecticide coating that leaches into the soil and washed into our waterways is not monitored or regulated.

CT Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) Support for Restrictions in Agricultural Use

Richard Cowles, PhD CAES:

“Of all the uses of neonics, coating of seeds planted on large acreages (corn, rapeseed, soybean) are the most objectionable. It is equivalent to baiting birds with poison bait.”
Supports further restrictions to the use of neonics on row crops, such as corn, soybean, rapeseed.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Lawns

Jason Henderson, University of Connecticut Professor of Turfgrass and Soil Sciences: EPA Encourages Integrated Pest Management. IPM prioritizes non-chemical pest controls on lawns and promotes safer, targeted pesticide use only when needed. This reduces reliance on harmful pesticides, aligns with environmental goals, and supports safer pest management in various applications, including lawns and turf.

Industry Interests

$20-60Million spent on seed application each year

4 major producers: Syngenta ($10.7B), Bayer ($10.6B), Cortuva ($6.2B), BASF ($6.0B) annual revenues for pest division. They are purchasing seed companies to assure their product is applied to seed, limiting seed choices for farmers.

-180-200M acres of soybean and corn planted each year across USA, 95-98% of corn has neonic applied, 40-50% conservative estimate for soybean application

For a Summary of the 2025 Proposed Bill read more here. Supporting the Proposed Bill would protect Conmecticut’s natural resources from neonics’ harmful impacts on ecosystems and water quality.

EPA Quotes:

Its resources limit the agency’s ability to assess pesticide impacts to listed species and their habitat.
“In past decades, the Agency has had trouble meeting its Section 7(a)(2) obligations for the thousands of pesticide actions it completes annually under FIFRA. The entire process, including consulting with the Services to implement protections they determine are necessary through biological opinions, can take years for a single pesticide.”
“EPA’s traditional chemical-by-chemical, species-by-species approach to meeting these obligations has been slow and costly, with ESA work on each pesticide typically taking many years to complete. As a result, EPA has completed its ESA obligations for less than 5% of its actions, creating legal vulnerabilities, the potential for adverse impacts to listed species, and uncertainty for farmers and other pesticide users that use many pesticides.”
In past decades, the Agency has met those obligations for less than 5% of the thousands of pesticide actions it completes annually under FIFRA).
EPA’s Pesticide Program has been unable to keep pace with its ESA workload, resulting not only in inadequate protections for listed species but also litigation against the Agency that has increased in frequency in recent years.