Answer to Bee Decline

Syngenta and Bayer's Answer to Bee Decline: Just Plant More Flowers







Putting the pesticides industry in charge of protecting bees, is like putting a fox in charge of a henhouse. - Alice Jay, campaign director, Avaaz.org

Heather Callaghan
Activist Post

The heat is on Syngenta and Bayer CropScience, makers of neonicotinoid
insecticides, which are heavily indicated in sharp bee decline as each
new study proves. The EU is still discussing a ban and the EPA is being sued
for allowing the manufacturers conditional registration of their class
of chemicals which include clothianidin and imidacloprid - also acutely
deadly to bees. Both governmental authorities appear to have catered to
corporate influence at the expense of the bee population and the future
of crops.

Alice Jay of Avaaz activist group said:
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
No one knows for certain what's killing our bees, but leading scientists
have powerful evidence pointing to these pesticides. Protecting bees
and our countryside must come before the profits of the pesticide
industry.</blockquote>
It's true, pesticides are actually only one of 7 or 8 culprits in the
last decade's rapid bee decline. But Syngenta and Bayer are under fire
as more proof surfaces and must do something to save face in the brewing
PR storm. They still hold that the pesticide hazards are "unproven" and
that a ban would hurt the EU economy -- so they proposed a plan to
help.

Syngenta chief operating officer said:
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This comprehensive plan will bring valuable insights
into the area of bee health, whereas a ban on neonicotinoids would
simply close the door to understanding the problem,</blockquote>
What is their "comprehensive" plan? Guardian UK reports:
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Their plan includes the planting of more flowering margins around fields
to provide bee habitats as well as monitoring to detect the
neonicotinoid pesticides blamed for their decline and more research into
the impact of parasites and viruses.</blockquote>



So there you have it - world food crisis solved. More $$ into
research, let the pesticide industry monitor them, and give them some
flowers. Sounds like an abusive relationship.

Ruediger Scheitza, head of strategy at Bayer CropScience says:
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Even though all the evidence points to various parasites and diseases
being the true cause of poor bee health, we are keen to do everything in
our power to give consumers confidence in our products.</blockquote>
The parasites and disease are ushered in by the bees' weakened immune
systems brought on by chemical exposure among other things. They need
gut health to withstand harmful invaders, but the chemicals are
specifically designed to destroy the stomachs of insects. Their brains
are thrown off and they don't return home, which is why offering more
flowers for more habitats is absurd - oh, and let's place them right
next to the spraying fields while we're at it.

It
is clearly a desperate attempt to negotiate before they see a decline
in profits. It's like letting a criminal free to commit more crimes and
offer his own restitution to the dead. They propose more money into more
technologies to reduce dust emissions from planting, but the chemicals
are systemic - the neonicotinoids end up in the pollen, nectar, and corn
used for high fructose corn syrup which often gets fed to them. They
offer to spend more on research to fight bee parasites. What do you
think this will include? More patents, more pseudo-charity, more product
lines.

Syngenta and Bayer's studies try to prove a drop in farming profits
concluding economic devastation in the EU. But there are already farming losses due to bee decline. The US and UK have seen a 50% bee drop-off in the last 25 years. They pollinate to create 3/4 of the world's food crops.

If nothing else, it's time to stop letting the corporate toxin makers
negotiate their way out and tell us it's all in our heads. Remember:
neonicotinoids were their answer to the slightly more toxic
organophosphates, and those were the answer to the slightly more
dangerous compounds of DDT.

There is no more room for compromise.

Source:-
http://www.activistpost.com/2013/04/syngenta-and-bayers-answer-to-bee.html