Fill out the form below to voice your support for this very important bill! The bill details are continued below the form.
Pesticides- Use of Chlorpyrifos – Prohibition – HB 229/SB 300
This bill would ban the use of chlorpyrifos including insecticides and seeds treated with the chemical. It would also require the Department of Agriculture to use existing budget resources to educate farmers, crop advisors and pest applicators with pest management.
Chlorpyrifos is toxic to many species of birds including robins, grackles, pigeons, and Mallard ducklings. In addition to laying fewer eggs, the eggshells of those eggs laid by Mallards are thinner than normal, so fewer ducklings survive. Chlorpyrifos is not only toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates, but also it builds up in the tissues of fish and animals who consume those fish and animals. This contamination by chlorpyrifos goes up the food chain in a process called bioaccumulation. Chlorpyrifos is also toxic to bees and earthworms, lasting days to weeks after its application.
Originally banned at the federal level by the Obama Administration in 2017, the ban was reversed before it went into effect by the Trump Administration. This was despite the fact that in 2017 The US Fish and Wildlife Service found that chlorpyrifos was so toxic that it would “jeopardize the existence” of more than 1200 endangered species including including birds, fish, and other wildlife.
Hawaii, California, and New York have moved to phase out the use of chlorpyrifos and similar legislation is under consideration in Connecticut, Oregon and the State of Washington. Last year, a bill to ban chlorpyrifos in Maryland passed the House but stalled in the Senate.
Let’s make 2020 Maryland’s year to ban the use of this toxic pesticide!
Please contact your legislators and tell them that you SUPPORT HB 229/SB 300
Thank you again for being an advocate for Maryland’s animals. Remember, Maryland Votes for Animals, Inc. can only succeed with the help of animal advocates like you. Please consider making a donation to Maryland Votes for Animals at voteanimals.org/donate now, so we can continue fighting for Maryland animals.
With compassion,
Maryland Votes for Animals, Inc.