Neonic legislation 2026
Pollinator Friendly Alliance has been advocating for regulation of the bee-killing insecticides, neonicotinoids, for 15 years. The lack of enforcement of drift and the unnecessary overuse of neonic pesticides has far-reaching effects including water contamination, it sickens wildlife and people, and kills birds and pollinators.
In 2026, we support Bill HF 3704 / SF 4052 to limit and regulate unnecessary neonicotinoid pesticide contamination. The bill is now in the House omnibus agriculture bill for further discussion during the 2026 legislative session.
Minnesota state agencies are responsible for protecting natural resources, clean water, and protecting wildlife and human health from polluters. The Department of Agriculture is charged with the oversight of regulations and rules for pesticides, but the MDA has been negligent in their responsibility to protect us, wildlife and the environment from unnecessary contamination by neonicotinoid pesticides. MDA has refused to regulate pesticide-coated seed as a pesticide, for instance, which is entirely within their purview.
Neonicotinoids enter the environment and contaminate our world in a variety of ways including plant treatments, crop applications, landscape applications, and neonic-treated crop seed (specifically corn and soy). Pesticide-coated seeds are not regulated as a pesticide, which allows the powerful pesticide industry to use this loophole (treated article exemption) to make treated seed easy to use without proper oversight. Regulations for polluters and pesticides are critical to protect us. Neonicotinoids have changed agriculture and the urban landscape in a few short decades coinciding with the loss of more than 50% of animal species including invertebrates, birds, fish and mammals.
Neonicotinoid contamination has been studied for decades – it is no secret that neonic insecticides are toxic: Download neonic effects factsheet here
Pollinators continue to decline; pesticides kill pollinators outright and/or sicken them at sublethal doses.
Studies show mammals such as deer, otters and grassland birds are sickened by neonic contaminated forage, habitat and water.
Birds eat neonic-treated seed, become sick and/or perish.
Fish are disappearing from loss of food (aquatic invertebrate decline due to neonics in waterways).
Animals and humans are exposed to and sickened by neonics.
Researchers report pollinators are at a critical point for extinction, putting entire ecosystems at risk and requiring immediate action.
The 2025 monarch count reports monarchs occupied less than one hectare - not enough to survive as a species.
25%-90% of North American bumble bee species have disappeared and 58% of native bee species are at risk of extinction.
Neonicotinoid pesticides continue to contaminate Minnesota waters.