Friends of the Earth claimed serious flaws in pesticide review.   Ottawa—Health Canada says it conducted a rigorous science-based review to assess all risks to human health and the environment before making its final decision on the neonic pesticide imidacloprid. The department announced in late May that agricultural uses of imidacloprid can continue although the horticulture sector will have to phase out many of them during the next two years. Friends of the Earth filed a petition to the Auditor General last month claiming serious flaws in the department's decisions allowed the continued use of neonicotinoid pesticides. The group requested details on measures to protect wild pollinators. The Office of the Auditor General of Canada said it was as usual sending the petition to departments for a response and it would consider the petition in planning future audits. Health Canada said that since 2016, it has made a thorough evaluation of “available scientific information found that most uses of imidacloprid products meet current standards for protection of human health and the environment and have acceptable value when used according to revised conditions of registration, which includes new mitigation measures.” In November 2016, Health Canada launched its imidacloprid review, which included a proposal to cancel all agricultural and many non-agricultural uses of the pesticide. In April 2019, it put in place some restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids to protect bees and other pollinators. The decision issued this May did not pertain to pollinators, it said. The 24-month phase-in of additional restrictions was considered reasonable “because they are not expected to cause irreversible harm over this period. Potential effects include sublethal effects on colonies or solitary bees, but affected pollinator populations are expected to recover following implementation of the additional restrictions which will reduce exposure. “Moreover, recovery is expected because risks to pollinators are geographically limited to areas where these products are applied and areas adjacent to application sites. The presence of unaffected solitary bees, bumble bees, and honey bees in areas where products are not being used will further facilitate recovery since unaffected bees in the environment can move back into areas where effects may have occurred. Overall, risk to pollinators is acceptable over the time period required to implement the mitigation measures. As a result of this decision, growers will be required to change their pest management practices, Health Canada said “Pesticides have extensive and precise instructions and often require specialized application and safety equipment and training. This transition period will allow for an orderly and safe implementation of these new restrictions, and should reduce the risk of product misuse or the improper disposal of products as users switch to alternatives, where required.” Friends of the Earth said previous audits by the Auditor General found “questionable pesticide approvals practices, including allowing neonicotinoids to enter the marketplace without full scientific research results from the manufacturers.” Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.