Bye, bye, bees
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 21 October 2014 11:00
- Written by editor
Pesticide giant Bayer wants to introduce ANOTHER pesticide, one that could make the bee die-off even worse.
The government is accepting comments -- but we've only got a small window of opportunity. Tell the government to stand up for the bees and reject Bayer's new proposal.
Across the country last winter, we lost almost 30 percent of its bee colonies, and strikingly, in Ontario, over 50 percent of the bees colonies did not survive. Bees are already dying in record numbers. Judging on what these pesticides have done to our bees so far, we could see the complete decimation of the population sooner than we think if pesticide giant Bayer gets its new poisonous pesticide approved.
The final decision lies with Health Canada , and a crucial public comment period is about to close on November 1. If we want Health Canada to stand up to Bayer, it needs to hear from us now.
Bees are diligent, unassuming creatures. They pollinate our crops, and are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we eat. It’s simple -- no bees means no food for us.
This new pesticide, Flupyradifurone, belongs to a class of pesticides called “neonics”. Approving this new pesticide is very risky given that similar types of neonics have been deemed so harmful that they have been banned in Europe. This new pesticide not only has the potential to escalate the bee die-off, it could also contaminate groundwater and aquifers.
Pesticide companies like Bayer are merciless. They’re already suing the European Union to overturn the ban (and SumOfUs is heading to court to fight back)! Elsewhere in the world, pesticide companies are busy lobbying and bullying politicians against a ban, and using tobacco industry tactics to undermine the science.
It won’t be easy for Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) to stand up to a pesticide company that is spending millions to get its way. Bayer has money, but we have the power of people. The only way we can get the PMRA to make the right decision is to make sure that it sees that there is widespread public opposition to Bayer’s proposal. The comment period closes on November 1, so we have to act quickly.
Thanks for all you do,
Angus, Katherine, and the team at SumOfUs
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More information:
Canada proposes approval of Bayer's insecticide flupyradiflurone, AgroNews, 24 September 2014
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