How the EPA’s Inaction on Bee-Killing Neonicotinoids Cripples Our Economy

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As pesky as you might find bees, they play a vital role in our food supply and the agricultural jobs that go along with it.

They’re dying rapidly, leaving many of our essential crops without a key pollinator. In its latest episode, the investigative team at Earth Focus reveal that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allowed neonicotinoids—nerve toxins used on most of the country’s crops—on the market without adequate tests to determine their impact on bees. 

“Bees really are the underpinning of an entire agricultural system,” said Paul Towers, organizing and media director for the Pesticide Action Network. “When you pull out that underpinning, or that pin, you begin to see the collapse of an entire agricultural system.”

The episode exposes the conundrum created by the government’s inaction; billions in neonicotinoid sales for the chemical industry; and the death of bees, which strains the U.S. economy.

EARTH FOCUS airs every Thursday at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) on Link TV—channel 375 on DIRECTV and channel 9410 on DISH Network. Episodes are also available to watch online at linktv.org/earthfocus.

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