A senior scientist at the US Agriculture Department filed a whistleblower complaint today that adds fuel to the controversy swirling around a popular pesticide.
Jonathan Lundgren is a USDA entomologist in South Dakota. He says his research on a class of pesticides called “neonicotinoids” has been suppressed by the federal agency. His findings suggest the pesticides may harm honeybees and Monarch butterflies. Reporter Carey Gillam broke the story this morning.
“There have been several scientific reports that supposedly watered down, have been held back from publication," Gillam says. "Dr. Jonathan Lundgren is the first USDA scientist to really come forward publically and speak about his experience.”
USDA regulates the big agribusinesses whose profits could be affected by the studies. USDA has denied these claims and said it has a strong scientific integrity policy.
