How Pesticides on Seeds Affect Wildlife

Wildlife in farm areas often eat seeds from crops. These seeds might have pesticide left on them. This is important because it can affect birds and mammals. The EU has rules to check if these pesticides are safe. But the rules use old data. This data might not be accurate. A new study looked at this problem. It used recent data from farms in the EU. The study looked at seeds from wheat, sunflower, canola, and peas. It found that the amount of pesticide on seeds is lower than what the old rules say. This is good news. It means the old rules might be too strict. But it also shows that the rules need to be updated. The study used data from 178 trials. This makes it a big and reliable study. The study also showed that different crops have different amounts of pesticide. This is important because it means the rules should be different for each crop. The study is a step forward. But more research is needed.