How fitting that on June 17, the first day of National Pollinator Week, the members of the Vermont House and Senate overrode Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of H.706, known as the Pollinator Protection Bill.

This bill will phase out the most harmful class of pesticides, neonicotinoids, from use in coated corn and soybean seeds and other agricultural and landscape uses over the next five years.

I listened on Zoom to much of the testimony from scientists, beekeepers, farmers and others, and it was clear that the harm done by neonics to beneficial insects and other wildlife far outweighs any benefits to farmers. Over 500 scientific studies confirm that use of neonics does not improve crop yield on farms.

Vermont now joins the Province of Quebec and New York state in banning neonics, and there are other states with similar legislation in the works.

I believe this is a great first step in protecting our native pollinators and our honeybees and will help these important insects to recover from recent rapid decline.

Fran Putnam

Weybridge