Pesticide-Maker, Mass. Settle to Save the Bees: AG

BOSTON, MA — A global pesticide manufacture is paying the state $75,000 and agreeing to alter its advertising practices to avoid a legal battle over what the Massachusetts District Attorney alleges are misleading advertisements regarding lawn and garden products believed to damage the environment, particularly in regards to bees.

It's reported by Bloomberg as a "first-of-its-kind accord" between Bayer CropScience LP and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

According to the agreement, published Thursday, Healey investigated Bayer's insecticide products marketed to Massachusetts homeowners for "failing to disclose harms associated with the Neonicotinoid Chemicals, such as, among others, harm to honey bees."

The investigation began in 2013. Healey claims the manufacturer violated the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act with its "unqualified claims" regarding the products' environmental impact, and says it misled customers by using descriptive phrases such as "environmentally friendly" and "like taking a daily vitamin."

Bayer has denied wrongdoing or criminal violation, and says has not used any neonicotinoid chemicals other than imidacloprid and/or clothianidin in products sold to Massachusetts homeowners.

Rather than go to court, Healey's office has come to an agreement with Bayer to repay the state AG's office for its work and time, and to cease airing such ads in the state. According to Bloomberg, a Bayer spokesperson said its ads on this issue in the state were “at all times accurate and transparent," and that the company agreed to settlement in order to avoid the time and expense of lengthy litigation.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Healey said:

“Bayer made numerous misleading claims to consumers about the safety of its pesticide products, including falsely advertising that they were similar to giving ‘a daily vitamin’ to plants, when in fact, they are highly toxic to honey bees and other pollinators in the environment. This settlement is an unprecedented step from a major pesticide manufacturer to promote truth in advertising for consumers about products that expose bees and the environment to harm and in turn also impact farming and food production.”

Per the AG's office, honey bees play an essential role in crop pollination for both small, local farms and large national farming operations. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reported that a quarter of the American diet depends on honey bee pollination.

Photo by Mark Kent, Flickr/Creative Commons