Conservation Group Seeks Assurance That Wild Bird Seed Products Are Pesticide-Free - American Bird Conservancy

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PRESS RELEASES
Conservation Group Seeks Assurance That Wild Bird Seed

Products Are Pesticide-Free
(Washington, D.C. May 1, 2013) American Bird Conservancy has sent

letters to two of the nation's largest manufacturers of wild bird seeds,
Scotts Miracle-Gro Company and Kaytee Products, seeking assurance
1 of 8 8/27/19, 7:48 AM
that the company supply chains remain free of

neonicotinoid insecticides, which can be
fatally poisonous to birds.
“American Bird Conservancy (ABC) would like

to direct your attention to the neonicotinoid
coatings that are commonly applied to corn,
canola, sunflower, millet, and other types of
seeds,” says the letter
A leading bird group wants to ensure that
(https://3pktan2l5dp043gw5f49lvhc-
the world's most widely used insecticide is wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content
never used on bird seed.
Photo by JanetandPhil, Flickr. /uploads/2013/05
/Neonicotinoids_bird_seed_letter_April_2013.pdf). “Our recently
completed scientific assessment concluded that these insecticides
routinely are incorporated into seeds and are lethal to birds. We want to
ensure that these insecticidal treatments are never found on the bird
seed that your companies sell to consumers for feeding pets and wild
birds.”
ABC recently released a 100-page scientific report on the effects of
2 of 8 8/27/19, 7:48 AM
neonicotinoid insecticides on birds, The Impact of the Nation's Most

Widely Used Insecticides on Birds (https://3pktan2l5dp043gw5f49lvhc-
wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05
/Neonic_FINAL1.pdf). These chemicals are applied as seed treatments
in agricultural and horticultural seed products. For some crops such as
corn, close to 100 percent of seed on the market is treated. ABC
reviewed 200 studies on neonicotinoids, including industry research
obtained through the U.S. Freedom of Information Act.
The ABC report found that a single corn kernel coated with a
neonicotinoid can kill a songbird. Even a tiny grain of wheat or canola
treated with the oldest neonicotinoid, imidacloprid, can fatally poison a
bird. And as little as one-tenth of a neonicotinoid-coated corn seed per
day during egg-laying season is all that is needed to affect reproduction.
Low-level exposure to neonicotinoids is associated with a range of
potentially debilitating effects such as egg-shell thinning and loss of
muscle coordination.
“Given that a single neonicotinoid-coated seed can fatally poison a bird,

it is important that the seeds marketed for home bird feeders remain
3 of 8 8/27/19, 7:48 AM
free of these chemical treatments,” said Cynthia Palmer, Pesticides

Program Manager for ABC. In response to past wild bird seed
contamination incidents, ABC has implemented random testing of bird
seed sold by major retailers. To date, ABC's independent bird seed
testing efforts have focused on older products such as the
organophosphorous and carbamate pesticides. The ABC letter, however,
asserts that “Neonicotinoids are also now a candidate for future testing.”
Since the use of neonicotinoid coatings is nearly ubiquitous in many seed

crops grown in the United States, ABC wants to make sure that the seeds
sold by bird seed manufacturers for use in backyard bird feeders remain
free from neonicotinoid insecticides. “It would be wretched if bird
watchers were unknowingly poisoning the very birds that they seek to
nurture and enjoy with their families,” said Palmer.
ABC is asking the Scotts Miracle-Gro and Kaytee companies to provide

documentation showing that their bird seed supply chains are indeed
pure and free of imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and other
neonicotinoid insecticides.
The 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated
4 of 8 8/27/19, 7:48 AM
Recreation (http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/fhw11-nat.pdf)
(large document – 26 MB), conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, reports that the nation's nearly 47 million birdwatchers spend
over $4 billion annually on bird feed.
5 of 8 8/27/19, 7:48 AM
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Conservation Group Seeks Assurance that Wild Bird Seed Products Are Pesticide-Free... https://abcbirds.org/article/conservation-group-seeks-assurance-that-wild-bird-seed-pr...

Bald Eagle, Agustin Esmoris, Shutterstock

Conservation Group Seeks Assurance That Wild Bird Seed

(Washington, D.C. May 1, 2013) American Bird Conservancy has sent

that the company supply chains remain free of

“American Bird Conservancy (ABC) would like

ABC recently released a 100-page scientiﬁc report on the effects of

neonicotinoid insecticides on birds, The Impact of the Nation's Most

“Given that a single neonicotinoid-coated seed can fatally poison a bird,

free of these chemical treatments,” said Cynthia Palmer, Pesticides

Since the use of neonicotinoid coatings is nearly ubiquitous in many seed

ABC is asking the Scotts Miracle-Gro and Kaytee companies to provide

The 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated

Search Our Database of Past Press Releases and Stories

PRIOR DATE : MM/DD/YYYY

AFTER DATE : MM/DD/YYYY

Remain Put… Lighting Extinction…

HOME GET E-NEWS MISSION SIGN UP FOR UPDATES (https://abcbirds.org/email-sign-up

Copyright 2019 © American Bird Conservancy. All Rights Reserved.

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