Neonics and genetically engineered crops to be phased out at national wildlife refuges

These elements of “industrial agriculture” not needed at refuges-

Pressure to ban neonictinoid pesticides and mobilization against GE crops has been growing.

The U.S. government is perceived by many to be slow to respond to concern about neonics, or on the wrong side with genetically engineered crops or animals. Now, however, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced it will phase these things out on the nation’s National Wildlife Refuge System.

Internal memoranda quote National Wildlife Refuge System head James Kurth, “We have demonstrated our ability to successfully accomplish refuge purposes over the past two years without using genetically modified crops, therefore it is no longer possible to say that their use is essential to meet wildlife management objectives. We will no longer use genetically modified crops to meet wildlife management objectives System-wide.”

The method of justifying the action is clever — rather than finding them dangerous, a threat to wildlife or human health, etc., they are simply “not needed.”  Some GE crops had been grown and fed to wildlife on the refuges. The Service said the phase out was based on the “precautionary approach.”

The phase out is supposed to be done by January 2016.  The Refuge System is huge, including 607,028 square kilometers (377,189 sq. miles). This is a third larger than Texas.

Here is the memorandum.

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