A federal court ordered a possible review of neonicotinoid-coated seeds.

OMAHA (DTN) -- A federal court in San Francisco ruled Tuesday, May 10, that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency violated the Endangered Species Act by not adequately reviewing 59 different registrations on neonicotinoid-coated seeds between 2007 and 2012. The ruling was handed down by the U.S. District Court for the District of Northern California.

Seeds coated with neonicotinoid insecticides are used on more than 150 million acres of U.S. corn, soybeans, cotton and other crops.

Beekeepers, wildlife conservation groups, food safety and consumer advocates sued the EPA claiming the release of the coated seeds harmed bee populations.

Bayer Crop Science, Syngenta, Valent and other companies that sell neonicotinoid insecticides issued a joint statement on the court ruling.

"This case centered around plaintiffs' arguments that EPA did not follow certain processes in the registration of certain products containing clothianidin and thiamethoxam -- two important crop protection tools used by farmers," the companies said.

"For most of those arguments the judge found that EPA followed the correct procedures. The judge's order also upheld EPA's decision that there was no imminent hazard to the environment from using clothianidin products. We will be reviewing the judge's order and our options as the case moves forward into the remedy phase."

Bayer sells clothianidin-based Poncho, Syngenta's thiamethoxam-based product is Cruiser, and the imidacloprid-based Gaucho, is marketed by Bayer and Valent USA.

According to the court's ruling, the case is being sent to Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in the District of Northern California for settlement talks.

In a news release on Tuesday, the Center for Food Safety said such a settlement could "lead to cancelling the 59 pesticide products and registrations, including many seed-coating insecticides approved for scores of different crop uses."