PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — One Pennsylvania representative is pushing for an insecticide to be banned for use on crops, which would mirror legislation already implemented in New York and Vermont.

The proposed legislation is targeting Neonicotinoid insecticide, which is a synthetic insecticide derived from nicotine. In a memo by Senator Judith Schwank, she notes that while the product was originally introduced to fight corn flea beetles in the Midwest, it’s now believed to be used on almost all of the corn and half of the soybeans produced.

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Neonicotinoid kills insects by disrupting their nervous system. Seeds that have the insecticide applied absorb the chemicals and make the entire plant toxic, which can harm bees and other pollinators. According to the Center for Food Safety, dust contaminated with the insecticide can cause huge bee kills and because they break down slowly, they can also run off into waterways and threaten aquatic organisms.

Neonicotinoids were already banned by the European Union in 2018 for field use and restricted the use of the insecticide to closed greenhouses. Schwank’s legislation would similarly ban the seed treatments for field crops.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the insecticide kills “indiscriminately,” while it may have been invented to target pests, it can kill countless butterflies, bees and earthworms.

“We will not only strengthen protections for beneficial insects, but we will also realign ourselves with the agricultural best practices of integrated pest management,” Schwank wrote.

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The legislation has yet to be introduced, but you can keep up to date with its progress here.

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