In attendance: Dr. Rick Langly (Chair); Dr. Allen Scarborough (Vice Chair); Dr. Colleen Hudak-Wise; Dr. Benson Kirkman; Mr. Shawn Harding; Mr. Jim Burnette (Secretary)
Not in attendance: Mr. Don Rodgers
Ethics Reminder
Dr. Langley read the mandatory ethics statement, requiring any members to disclose conflicts of interests. Dr. Scarborough stated that as a current employee of the agrochemical sector he would participate in the discussion regarding future speakers on the topic of neonicotinoids from industry, but recuse himself from voting.
Consider Board Minutes from July 12, 2016
Mr. Harding moved that the minutes be approved as is, which Dr. Scarborough seconding. Unanimously approved.
Update on NCDA&CS Pollinator Protection Efforts
Pat Jones, Deputy Director of the Pesticide Division within NCDOA&CS, gave an update on outreach and registration for beekeepers to register their hives voluntarily with BeeCheck (a program of DriftWatch), which allows pesticide applicators to see where beehives are across the state so that they can take precautionary steps. Currently, there are 1,056 apiaries registered across the state, making North Carolina the state with the second highest registered apiaries out of 13 U.S. states enrolled in the program and one Canadian province.
NCDOA&CS will continue outreach and education about the registration program into 2017.
Consider recommendations for neonicotinoid presentations
Per the Board’s request at their July 12th meeting, the Board received 14 nominations for presentations on the effects of neonicotinoid insecticides on pollinators, aquatic invertebrates, and their environmental fate. The Board Chair, Dr. Langley, categorized these nominees into three sectors being, “Academia”, “Industry”, and “Other”. The Chair then suggested to hear from two nominees at each of the next three Board meetings resulting in six total presentations. Dr. Hudak-Wise noted that the door will remain open to the rest of the nominees, but this will be the first batch. Selected individuals to present were:
Academia
Dr. Melissa Perry, Professor and Chair of Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, George Washington University
Dr. Dave Buchwalter, Associate Professor in Toxicology, NC State
Industry
Dr. Jay Overmyer – Technical Team I, Ecotoxicology and Risk Assessment, Syngenta
Dr. David Fischer, Director Pollinator Safety Group, Bayer Crop Science
Other
Dr. Jill Sidebottom, Mountain Conifer IPM Specialist, NC Agricultural Extension
Dave Penrose, MPH, Contract Professor on Aquatic Insect Ecology, NC State
The Chair, Dr. Langley, explicitly prohibited public comments after the selection process.
Settlement Agreements
N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service, Structural Pest Control and Pesticide Division v.