Bayer agrees to $75,000 fine in Mass. for deceiving customers about pesticides harmful to bees - Entrepreneur Generations

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Bayer CropScience will pay a $75,000 fine to Massachusetts for failing to properly advertise the hazards of pesticides on bees and the environment, according to an agreement between the company and the state, Gabriel Dunsmith reports for Greenwire. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said it is the first time a major chemical manufacturer "has submitted to a court order regarding false advertising related to bees and other pollinators." Bayer will be forced to change its advertising, but only in Massachusetts.

Healey, who said Bayer "misled and deceived consumers," said in a statement: "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 honeybees and other pollinators in the environment."

Neonicotinoid-based pesticides have been partly blamed on declining bee populations, along with varroa mites, disease and poor nutrition and food supply. Bees are responsible for more than $15 billion in increased U.S. crop value each year. Honeybees lost 28 percent of colonies last winter, up from 22 percent the year before.

Bayer spokesman Jeff Donald said the company denies any wrongdoing and agreed to the settlement "to avoid the time and cost associated with litigation," Martha Kessler reports for Bloomberg. He said "the firm’s crop science division believes the advertising related to the products involving neonicotinoid chemistry was 'at all times accurate and transparent.'"

from The Rural Blog http://ift.tt/2eZtgmB Bayer agrees to $75,000 fine in Mass. for deceiving customers about pesticides harmful to bees - Entrepreneur Generations

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