MONTICELLO, NY   —   NYS Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther said she will vote in favor of the amendments to the Birds and Bees Protection Act passed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“The original legislation to ban an entire class of pesticides was strongly opposed by New York’s farmers, and I voted against it,” said Gunther. “However, I will support the amended bill, as it creates sufficient time for the Department of Environmental Conservation to let science guide New York’s transition away from the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in field crop and turf production.”

The act, as it was first passed by the legislature in June, was lauded by the Natural Resources Defense Council, which said that in-depth research by Cornell University showed that neonicotinoids “provide no economic benefits to users or are replaceable with safer, effective alternatives—specifically neonic coatings on corn, soybean and wheat seeds and lawn and garden uses (with an exception for invasive species treatments). This eliminates 80-90 percent of the neonics entering New York’s environment yearly.”

Gunther said farmers using neonicotinoid-treated seeds reduced the amount of pesticides used in field crops such as corn and allowed for no-till planting, which has a lower carbon footprint. Concerns arose that these pesticides are harming bees and the environment, and led to proposals to ban them outright.

In signing the bill as amended, Hochul said the legislation will allow sufficient time for research on alternatives and the development of more cost-effective products less harmful to the environment.

Gunther is a member of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and represents much of Orange and Sullivan counties, which have 987 farms, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.