Pesticides could decimate New Zealand’s bee population unless the Government takes action, Green MP Sue Kedgley said today. “Bees are vital to our economy, our horticulture, our agriculture and our ecology,” Ms Kedgley said. “We depend on them for about one third of our food, through their role as pollinators.”
The Environmental Risk Management Authority has revoked approvals for the use of the pesticide methyl parathion in New Zealand. Methyl parathion is a broad-spectrum organophosphate pesticide effective against insects and mites. Formulations containing methyl parathion were first registered for use in New Zealand in 1961 but no products have been registered since 2004.
