Public Comments needed on deadly Bayer-Monsanto merger

Farmers are scared of it. Bees could be decimated by it. And anyone who eats — that's all of us — should be mobilizing to stop it.

I'm talking about a merger between Bayer and Monsanto, two of the biggest global agribusiness giants, that would create the world's largest seed and chemical corporation... and possible disaster for pollinators, farmers, people, and our planet.

Tell the Department of Justice to reject this toxic mega-merger now.

What makes this Bayer-Monsanto merger so dangerous?

One out of every three bites of food we take depends on bees and other pollinators. Yet bee populations are in a free fall that's only getting worse — beekeepers reported losing over 40% of their honeybee colonies last year, up from an already alarming 33% the year before.

Yet Bayer and Monsanto keep flooding the environment with neonic pesticides that are deadly to bees.

A Bayer-Monsanto merger would cement in place the chemical-intensive farming practices that threaten pollinators and imperil our global food supply, while likely increasing costs and limiting planting options for farmers.

The Department of Justice has proposed a settlement that would allow these two chemical titans to merge. While the department still has the power to stop the merger, it's unlikely to change course without massive public pressure from people like you and me.

The DOJ is inviting comments from the public on its proposed settlement plan for the merger — but only until August 13.

Take action before the DOJ's public comment period ends and help protect honeybees and our food supply!

NRDC and activists like you have been dedicated to saving the bees for years.

We've petitioned and sued the EPA to crack down on the use of neonics, and almost 100,000 of you have written to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos calling on him to stop selling bee-toxic pesticides.

And we've seen progress: With help from NRDC members and activists, we went to court and compelled the Trump administration to provide federal endangered species protection to the rusty patched bumble bee.

And major retailers like Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart, and True Value have already announced they are taking steps to phase out neonic products or neonic-treated plants (or both).

But right now, the stakes couldn't be higher — and the need for action couldn't be more urgent.

We must ensure that this toxic merger never moves forward — for the sake of pollinators, people, and the health of our planet.

Tell the Department of Justice that you oppose the Bayer-Monsanto merger and will fight it at all costs.

- Rhea Suh, President, NRDC

Urge Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to help save bees by removing neonic products and neonic-treated plants from Amazon's website

Honeybee populations are plummeting at alarming rates, and it's got beekeepers, scientists, and anybody concerned about the future of our food supply very worried.

In fact, beekeepers reported losing over 33% of their honeybee colonies between April 2016 and March 2017.

One big culprit: the skyrocketing use of toxic neonicotinoid "neonic" pesticides.

And eCommerce giant Amazon is one of many retailers that sell neonic pesticide products and neonic-treated plants.

But as the largest online retailer in the U.S., Amazon can use its influence to make a big difference in the fight to save bees.

Urge Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to help save bees by removing neonic products and neonic-treated plants from Amazon's website!

NRDC and over 30 environmental and public health groups and businesses sent a letter to Bezos urging him to phase out neonics — now we need you to speak up, too.

High doses of neonics can kill bees directly, and research has shown that even in much smaller doses, neonics can impair the navigation, reproduction, ability to forage, and overall functionality of these pollinators. Exposure to neonics can also make bees more susceptible to viruses, parasites, and other diseases.

Please make your voice heard at Amazon's headquarters in defense of bees.

NRDC and activists like you have been dedicated to saving the bees for years.We've mounted an all-out campaign of public protest urging Bayer to stop killing bees, and petitioned and sued the EPA to crack down on the use of neonics.

And we've seen progress recently: With help from members and activists like you, NRDC went to court and compelled the Trump administration to restore federal endangered species protection to the rusty patched bumble bee.

And major retailers like Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart, and True Value have already announced they are taking steps to phase out neonic products or neonic-treated plants (or both). Now it's time for Amazon to follow suit.

It's never been a more crucial time for businesses like Amazon to lead the way and help protect bees and other pollinators from harmful pesticides.

Please send your message to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos now — for the sake of pollinator survival.

-Rhea Suh, President, NRDC

Make sure you’re not buying products that contain bee-harming pesticides here.

Sign the petition: No mass spraying of toxic, bee-killing pesticides

Sign the petition to the Environmental Protection Agency: "Numerous studies, including research conducted by your own agency, show that the neonicotinoid pesticide thiamethoxam poses a significant risk to pollinators, including fragile bee populations. Deny Syngenta's application to expand its use of this toxic pesticide." Add your name:

There is a massive new threat to fragile bee populations, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the power to stop it. Syngenta, the Swiss-based agro-chemical rival to Monsanto, is seeking government approval to spray its bee-killing pesticide thiamethoxam on more than 165 million acres of American crop land.1 If the Scott Pruitt-led EPA under Donald Trump’s regime approves the company's application to apply massive amounts of this toxic pesticide on popular crops like wheat, barley, rice, alfalfa and potato, we could see even more dramatic and rapid declines of bee colonies. We must urge the EPA to deny Syngenta's application immediately. Tell the EPA: No mass spraying of toxic, bee-killing pesticides. Click here to sign the petition. In recent years, bee populations have plummeted significantly due in large part to the expanded use of bee-killing pesticides. More than 700 North American bee species are at risk for extinction, and in 2016-2017 alone, beekeepers lost 33 percent of their bees, yet the EPA has failed to take significant steps to limit pesticide use.2,3 In fact, just before Donald Trump took office, the EPA publicly acknowledged that neonic pesticides pose a significant risk to honeybees but backed away from a proposed rule to limit their use.4 Incredibly, this proposal by Syngenta to significantly ramp up its use of this toxic chemical on crop land fell on the very same day the EPA released a stunning new report detailing the dangers neonicotinoids such as thiamethoxam pose to animal life, including birds of all sizes.5 This most recent EPA study comes on the heels of numerous studies detailing the risks neonics also pose to invertebrate aquatic life. As Lori Ann Burd, director of the Center for Biological Diversity's environmental health program, put it: "If the EPA grants Syngenta's wish, it will spur catastrophic declines of aquatic invertebrates and pollinator populations that are already in serious trouble."6 Activism to protect bee populations works. Hundreds of thousands of CREDO members have mobilized in recent years to pressure the EPA to restrict expansion of Monsanto's bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides. But with Trump occupying the White House and Pruitt leading the EPA, we need to double down our efforts to keep these toxic pesticides from dramatically worsening the bee crisis. Tell the EPA: No mass spraying of toxic, bee-killing pesticides. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/epa_bees_2018?t=7&akid=26926%2E3130208%2Em15Ppq - Josh Nelson, CREDO Action #SAVETHEBEES Add your name: Grace Guarnieri, "EPA Might Let Bee-Killing Pesticide Be Sprayed On 165M Acres of Farmland," Newsweek, Dec. 21, 2017. Justin Worland, "More than 700 North American Bee Species Are Headed Toward Extinction," TIME, March 2, 2017. University of Maryland, "American beekeepers lost 33 percent of bees in 2016-17," May 25, 2017. Center for Biological Diversity, "Same Day: EPA Acknowledges Proven Dangers of Bee-killing Pesticides But Refuses to Restrict Them," Jan. 12, 2017. Center for Biological Diversity, "EPA Considers Allowing Bee-Killing Pesticide to Be Sprayed on 165 Million Acres of U.S. Farmland," Dec. 19. 2017. Ibid.