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The case against neonicotinoids

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In Agriculture
Jul 6th, 2014
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Letter to the Toronto Star July 6 2014

Re: Pollinators in peril, Editorial June 29

Right on. I applaud you for the editorial. However, not only the bees are threatened with extinction. Add to that list the Monarch Butterflies, the soil micro-flora of our best agricultural lands and the vast aquatic systems of the prairies. All are in peril.

And Health Canada is using its multi-year “review process” as an excuse for inaction and procrastination. They should just read the latest report from 50 international scientists (members of the Task Force on Systemic Pesticides). The evidence is clear: powerful agro-pesticides (e.g. neonicotinoids and glyphosate/Roundup) are killing the bees. And the same toxins are also poisoning our biosphere.

With its inaction, Health Canada is probably in breach of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (1999). The Act states: “Whereas the Government of Canada acknowledges the need to virtually eliminate the most persistent and bio-accumulative toxic substances, and the need to control and manage pollutants and wastes if their release into the environment cannot be prevented.”

Here the prevention is very simple: just do not put these poisons into the environment, period! Is Health Canada working for the powerful pesticide lobby or for Canadians? My message to federal Liberals and the NDP: put the protection of the environment and human health on your agenda for next year’s election. Standing up for these issues will earn you votes and the trust of Canadians from coast to coast.

John Balatinecz, retired professor, University of Toronto

 Give bees a reprieve

Toronto Star editorial June 29 2014 editorial.html

Bees are in peril.

The Ontario Beekeepers’ Association says half the bees in the province’s 100,000 hives died over the winter, marking an incredible loss of the industrious insects that pollinate most of our food, flowers and plants.

Powerful pesticides are now widely considered to be the overarching cause of the bee deaths and last week another study, this time from a panel of 50 international scientists, verified that conclusion. The Task Force on Systemic Pesticides did a comprehensive review on the effects of neonicotinoid pesticides and found unequivocal evidence that they are killing bees.

It’s another powerful call for government action to save the bees.

After all, they play a huge role in Canada’s agricultural industry, pollinating roughly $2 billion worth of fruit and vegetables every year.

Unfortunately, Health Canada has said its review of the pesticides will go on for several years so environmental groups like the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment are pushing for provincial bans. The stakes are enormous.

And in Ontario, the news is somewhat heartening. It appears the Liberal government might be persuaded to take some action, although it’s leery of a full ban. During the spring campaign, the government promised the beekeepers’ association that it would limit the use of neonics to certain areas and would ensure that untreated seeds are available for sale. The Liberals also promised that a bee survival strategy would begin within six weeks of the June 12 election date. The clock is ticking.

As the association’s Tibor Szabo says, “Something has to be done. The industry is failing fast.”

While farmers say they rely on pesticides to grow plentiful crops, the task force scientists say that at least one study, from Italy, shows that bans actually improve the yield. The European Union has imposed a two-year moratorium on their use to study the damage posed by the pesticides.

What’s clear, is that there is widespread agreement that the pesticides are killing bees. With that in mind, Ontario’s freshly appointed agriculture minister, Jeff Leal, must put bees at the top of his file.

No doubt, Leal will meet opposition, particularly from the powerful agricultural pest control industry, but the reality is that once the only reliable pollinators have gone, the farmers — and their crops — will suffer. We need bees.

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