Editor’s Note: The editorial below from the Boston Globe fails to discuss key parts of the bee health story, such as the fact that British conservationists are fearing the environmental harm from the loss of neoniotinoids, as evidenced by the headline in the Guardian, ‘Wildlife at risk’ from incoming ban on pesticide linked to bee deaths. The UK has good reason to fear a neonic ban given the fact that bee colonies have dropped in France since their ban on neonics while bees have thrived in Ontario which introduced the pesticides almost ten years ago.
From: The Boston Globe
December 8, 2013
Editor’s Note: Regulatory policy debates should be based on science, not unsupported claims and headline news. As CRE will explain in our forthcoming pollinator protection comments to Health Canada, the facts say that bees are thriving in Ontario since the introduction of neonics and declining in France which banned them.
From: Agriculture.com
Bee health debate heats up over pesticides
John Walter
A new national campaign to restrict use of a widely applied group of pesticides is bringing increased attention to the question of how to improve the health of honeybees and other pollinators.
December 6, 2013
From: Farmers Weekly
Philip Case
The ban on neonicotinoid pesticides will see farmers rely on older, “dirtier” crop protection products which could have a worse effect on wildlife, say beekeepers.
An EU-wide suspension on the use of three neonicotinoids is set to come into force this Sunday (1 December).
In the absence of neonicotinoid seed treatments, farmers will have to switch to alternative spray pesticides, which could be more harmful to bees and other insects.
The British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) believes the ban could also make crop pests, such as aphids, more resistant.
December 4, 2013
From: Farmers Guardian
By Alistair Driver
THE NFU has called for an urgent assessment of the impact of the imminent suspension of neonicotinoid seed treatments, which is due to come into force on December 1.
With only days to go before restrictions on crop protection products begin, the NFU has described the lack of an EU impact assessment to determine the effect on pollinators and crop production as ‘alarming’.
December 2, 2013
Editor’s Note: The article below, written by a former associate dean for research and innovation in the Ontario Agricultural College at University of Guelph contains two quotes in particular that should serve as a stark warning to regulatory officials contemplating a ban on neonicotinoids:
- “In France, the number of bee colonies dropped by 25% after a neonic ban was imposed in 1999.”
- In Ontario, “bee colony numbers are increasing, climbing almost 50%…since neonic seed treatments were introduced in 2004.”
From: London Free Press/Opinion
Proposed insecticide ban buzzes industry
Terry Daynard, Special to QMI Agency
November 28, 2013
Editor’s Note: Advocates of neonic bans are ignoring the strong environmental safety benefits of seed treatment which reduces pestcide application by an order of magnitude, see here.
From: The Guardian
Farmers and beekeepers warn that crop-growers may turn to older pesticides when EU ban on neonicotinoids begins
Mark Riley Cardwell
Wildlife could be at risk from an imminent ban on pesticides linked to bee deaths, farmers and beekeepers have warned.
November 27, 2013
From: BlackburnNews.com
By Ray Baynton
Ontario grain farmers are being told they need to get their voices heard on the neo-nic seed treatment issue.
The Pest Management Review Agency is looking at the use of neo-nics because of their possible link to bee deaths.
Grain Farmers of Ontario says the PMRA has received thousands of submissions calling for the banning of neo-nics.
CEO Barry Senft says many of those were probably prompted by the Sierra Club campaign against the treatments. He argues most of those submissions have come from people with a lot less at stake in the issue than farmers have.
November 25, 2013
Editor’s Note: The Statement by the National Farmers Union (NFU) in support of Syngenta may be found here.
From: Farmers Weekly
Philip Case
The NFU is to intervene in support of Syngenta’s legal bid to reverse a ban on neonicotinoid pesticides linked to a decline in bee health.
NFU president Peter Kendall confirmed: “We will support Syngenta’s legal challenge of the European Commission’s hasty restrictions on certain neonicotinoids, including thiamethoxam, distributed by Syngenta as Cruiser. We are planning direct intervention in the case.”
November 22, 2013
Editor’s Note: The Syngenta Study will be highlighted in CRE’s forthcoming submission to Health Canada.
The author’s conclude:
“We conclude that these data demonstrate there is a low risk to honey bees from systemic residues in nectar and pollen following the use of thiamethoxam as a seed treatment on oilseed rape and maize.”
The complete study is on the following link PLOS One Syngenta
The study states:
November 20, 2013
From: The Grower
Bayer CropScience has successfully completed field trials of a new seed treatment technology that significantly reduces dust compared to traditional seed treatments.
That’s important because pesticide-laden dust from seed treatments is suspected to contribute to honeybee population declines, according to a news release.
The treatment, which is used on field crops such as corn, uses a polyethylene wax substrate. Traditional seed treatment uses talc and graphite lubricants. It acts as a carrier for pesticides, such as neonicotinoids, used to control soilborne seed pests.
November 20, 2013
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