Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumScotts Miracle-Gro pleads guilty to selling poisoned bird seed
Scotts Miracle-Gro products are known for zapping weeds dead. But it turns out they could be killing decidedly more attractive creatures birds.
Scotts pled guilty this Tuesday to charges that the company illegally put insecticides in its Morning Song and Country Pride brands of bird seed. Thats right: The company knowingly coated products intended for birds to eat with substances toxic to birds and wildlife.
The company continued to produce and market the insecticide-coated seeds despite being alerted to toxicity dangers by a Scotts staff chemist and ornithologist.
And heres the icing on the toxin-loaded cake: Storcide II, one of the insecticides in Scotts seed, comes with a huge warning label that reads: Toxic to birds, toxic to wildlife and Exposed treated seed may be hazardous to birds. Must be that a senior exec at Scotts got shat on by a pigeon one day and took it real personal.
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bbgrunt
(5,281 posts)Baitball Blogger
(46,787 posts)Stephen Caddell
(6 posts)AnotherMcIntosh
(11,064 posts)the Federal government, someone can contact an attorney who handles lawsuits under the Federal False Claims Act.
By pleading guilty, the Scotts company already established certain elements for liability.
The Federal False Claims Act provides for an award of attorney fees.
A FOIA inquiry amongst the various Federal agencies that might buy bird seed could determine whether they actually did so. A response indicating that an agency did so, and the amount of the Federal funds expended for such purpose, would help establish the remaining elements.
In addition to obtaining attorney fees, and a recovery of three times the amount that the Federal agencies paid for such bird seed for the Federal agencies, a person can also obtain a reward under appropriate conditions.
Was this poisoned bird seed packaged in China?
1monster
(11,012 posts)I have to find an alternative, because how can I buy from a company who would knowingly sell poisoned food?
TalkingDog
(9,001 posts)And most people will give it to you for free as long as you bring your own shovel and bucket.
bananas
(27,509 posts)See post #10.
This is so sad - and makes me angry!
I may have used the Morning Song birdseed.
floridalawn
(2 posts)They blamed one mid level manager for falsifying the documents but not the people who supervise her. This is a huge cover up and put not only the public at risk but thousands of their personal who applied these products through their lawn service division. Where is OSHA
gejohnston
(17,502 posts)Why people bag and dump grass clippings and then buy artificial, escapes me.
JitterbugPerfume
(18,183 posts)slackmaster
(60,567 posts)...But they still go for peanuts when coated with cyanide!
GliderGuider
(21,088 posts)I loves me some Lehrer!
valerief
(53,235 posts)And they could make money off it. Cuz making money is the most important thing in the world. No matter who it kills.
glinda
(14,807 posts)MH1
(17,635 posts)That's what makes it hard to boycott a bad corporate actor.
bananas
(27,509 posts)and found this on DailyKos:
- Two Scotts employees, a chemist and an ornithologist, warned management about it
- Scotts also falsified pesticide registration documents for Plant Food and Lawn Fertilizer
- 100 birds in an aviary suddenly died after eating the bird seed
- Dozens of field mice that ate the seed also died suddenly
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According to court documents, Scotts Miracle-Gro was warned about the toxicity of these chemicals by two employees. One employee, a pesticide chemist, approached management about these dangers in the summer of 2007, whilst the other employee, an ornithologist, notified management in the autumn of that same year. The Scotts Miracle-Gro company ignored these warnings and continued to produce and distribute their poisoned birdseed products for at least another six months, until March of 2008.
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At the same time, a federal registrations manager employed by the Scotts Miracle-Gro company intentionally falsified pesticide registration documents for two other products sold by the company, "Scotts Garden Weed Preventer & Plant Food" and "Scotts Lawn Service Fertilizer With Halts". Neither of these products were registered with the EPA and thus, both were illegally sold to the public. When the EPA contacted the Scotts Miracle-Gro company asking for the required documents and certificates, the manager then "fabricated correspondence and agency documents ... in an effort to deceive EPA into believing it had registered these products but lost its files", according to court documents. The EPA then launched an investigation.
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While a lot of birds may have died in quite because this is a product for wild birds, at least one couple lost almost all of their domestic birds:
Milt and Laura Cyphert of Lakeside suspect that Morning Song Wild Bird Seed, which they purchased at an El Cajon Wal-Mart last month, is linked to the sudden death of nearly 100 birds in their outside aviary. Only eight birds survived. Dozens of field mice that ate the seed also died suddenly, they report. The manufacturer has previously faced other product recalls and disciplinary actions from federal regulators.
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MH1
(17,635 posts)and include this brief information and the links.
(I have to work today so can't get much done. If many people do it, a lot of sites can be hit quickly.)
Next up, letter writing to the stores that sell Scotts. I doubt that we could get their products pulled? But at least let managers know. Particularly any small stores that carry it, and any trying to cultivate a "green" image, because there you might have an ownership/management team that cares about what products it puts on its shelves.
MH1
(17,635 posts)Figured they would want to know. Although most probably come here as well.
gejohnston
(17,502 posts)Google plus, the more people that know the better.