The Legislature is expected to vote to ban the sale of seeds treated with a pesticide that's tied to a decline in the bee population, despite strong opposition from New York farmers and businesses.

Seeds pre-treated with neonicotinoid pesticides — one of the most popular insecticides in the world — pose high risks for insect pollinators like bees, according to a state-funded Cornell University report.

State senators Wednesday voted to pass the legislation, called the Birds and Bees Protection Act, to ban corn, wheat, soy and other seeds often treated with the chemical.

"Neonicotinoids is a pesticide that, number one, has been responsible for large-scale bee die off and bird die off," Senate Environmental Conservation Committee chair Pete Harckham said. "But more importantly, neonics are harmful to human health. It impacts the central nervous system, babies in the placenta and pregnant women, so the health impacts are real. This is a dangerous substance."

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has authority to regulate seeds treated with neonicotinoids. The bill was recently amended to allow farmers an additional season to make plans before it would take effect, and to give the DEC greater liberty in granting exemptions for certain treated seeds.

Assembly members are expected to vote and pass the measure Thursday.

Neonics are often used in insecticides and to maintain turf on golf courses and decorative vegetation.

Tom Kaplun, superintendent of the North Hempstead Country Club Golf Course in Nassau County, says neonics help control white grub populations, and upstate golf courses could be forced out of business if they're forced to rely on more expensive alternatives. 

"Over time, that price to play golf to do those activities is going to go up as and also to the quality of the golf course is going to go down," he said.

Farmers have fought hard against the bill's passage for years. They've intensified their pushback to the proposal over the last few weeks, saying the ban will burden a struggling industry.

Jason Turek, who grows sweet corn at Turek Farms, his 4,000-acre family farm in King Ferry, Cayuga County, says there's a lack of alternatives to neonic-treated seeds, and the ban would lead reliance on sprayed chemicals.

"There are not many choices out there and one of them would be a huge equipment upgrade that I don't think we're capable of doing," he said Wednesday.

Agricultural leaders say seeds treated with neonics allow farmers to plant more crops, which helps to reduce its carbon footprint.

"New York is a $100 million seed market — people aren't going to walk away from that," Harckham countered. "This was done in Canada. Within two years, they were able to successfully nearly 100% shift to non-coated seeds."

State business leaders continue to come out in droves against the legislation, arguing prohibiting seeds treated with neonics would mean higher costs for farmers already burdened by financial stress.

The Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce released a memo in opposition to the bill this week.

But lawmakers who've pushed for the bill for years say the risk to bees, birds and other pollinators and health risks outweigh other consequences.

"Do we weigh the beauty of the grass of a golf course versus water quality and human health protection?" Harckham said. "There are fully organic golf courses in the United States and in New York. We don't need pesticides and chemicals to have beautiful grass, have beautiful plants and to have healthy crops."

The state Department of Environmental Conservation would be required to conduct a study to identify the best, practical alternatives to neonic pesticides if the bill becomes law. The agency must submit its findings to the Legislature and governor's office by Jan. 1, 2026.

Advocates say they'll work hard throughout the year to press Gov. Kathy Hochul to veto the legislation. Sources Wednesday said the governor is having second thoughts on supporting the neonics ban.

State business leaders were successful last year in voicing concerns about certain pieces of legislation to the governor and her staff, leading to several vetos and bill chapter amendments.