[Pollinator] Media Release: Pollinator-Beneficial Farm Bill Amendment Adopted by U.S. House During Pollinator Week

Thu Jun 20 13:50:29 PDT 2013

MEDIA RELEASE       P2 Logo.jpg

June 20, 2013

Tom Van Arsdall  tva at pollinator.org t 703.509.4746

Sunny Boyd sun at pollinator.org t 415.362.1137

Pollinator-Beneficial Farm Bill Amendment Adopted by House During Pollinator
Week

Would Help Ensure Viability of Honey Bees, Native Pollinators and Other
Beneficial Insects

San Francisco, CA-The Pollinator Partnership (P2) applauded passage by a
bipartisan vote of 273-149 of a pollinator amendment to the farm bill on the
floor of the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday.  If enacted into law,
the amendment, authored by Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (FL), and carried
by Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH) on his behalf, would help ensure the
viability of honey bees, native pollinators and other beneficial insects.
Representatives Rodney Davis (IL) and Jeff Denham (CA) also were lead
supporters of the amendment.

"We applaud Representatives Hastings, Kaptur, Davis and Denham for their
critical leadership in achieving this bipartisan outcome during National
Pollinator Week," said Laurie Davies Adams, P2 Executive Director.  "Even
though the House failed to pass a farm bill today, members of the House have
recognized through their precedent-setting vote on the amendment that
pollinators need more help.  We will continue to work with concerned
citizens, the Congress and the Administration to find ways to provide that
assistance."  

"It's simple.  No bees, no food," said Congressman Alcee L. Hastings of
Florida.  "Our pollinating partners are in trouble, and they need our help.
My amendment builds on good efforts to date by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) by encouraging interagency cooperation, and directing
more attention to honey bee forage needs in USDA conservation programs."

"I greatly appreciate the hard work and leadership involvement of the
Pollinator Partnership and other key groups in building bipartisan support
for my amendment," Hastings added.  "This is most definitely a positive
outcome during National Pollinator Week."

"I thank the Pollinator Partnership for its leadership on this issue. The
Pollinator Partnership and other key groups are essential to building
support in Congress for this important amendment, and we saw the results of
that on the House floor," said Congresswoman Kaptur of Ohio.

"As a member of the Pollinator Protection Caucus and an advocate for this
research, I was happy to support this bipartisan amendment.  We must
continue to drive home just how important bees and other pollinators are to
getting the nutrition we need, and improving federal coordination to address
and promote pollinator health is a great step, said Congressman Rodney Davis
of Illinois.  

"Dr. May Berenbaum is a world class entomologist at the University of
Illinois, which is in the 13th District. She and her team are doing critical
work on this problem.  We can support the great work being done by May, and
the Pollinator Partnership, by passing strong pollinator protection
policies," Davis added.

"I was pleased to see the approval of an amendment that improves current and
future efforts to support the long-term viability of pollinator bees and
other beneficial insects in agriculture. As a Central Valley almond farmer
and co-chair of the House Pollinator Caucus, I understand the importance of
a healthy apiary industry and its effects on our local agricultural
economy," said Congressman Jeff Denham of California.

P2 collaborated with beekeeping organizations and Hastings in shaping the
amendment and building support among key stakeholder groups and in the
House.  Other groups on record in support of the amendment include:
American Honey Producers Association, American Beekeeping Federation,
American Farm Bureau, National Farmers Union, National Council of Farmer
Cooperatives, Blue Diamond Growers, Florida Farm Bureau, American Farmland
Trust, National Wildlife Federation, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and
Center for Food Safety,

The full text of the Hastings amendment is available at
http://pollinator.org/PDFs/HASTFL3.pdf.  

Members of the Congressional Pollinator Protection Caucus (CP2C) played key
roles.  Co-chairs Hastings and Denham, and CP2C members Kaptur and Davis,
were joined by the following caucus members supporting the amendment:  Earl
Blumenauer (OR), Jim Costa (CA), Rosa DeLauro (CT), Ted Deutch (FL), Bob
Goodlatte (VA), Jared Huffman (CA) and Rob Wittman (VA).

###

ABOUT THE POLLINATOR PARTNERSHIP 

Established in 1997, the Pollinator Partnership is the largest 501(c) 3
non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to the health, protection, and
conservation of all pollinating animals. For further information, visit
www.pollinator.org!

###

Amendment Highlights

.         Emphasizes the importance of improving managed honey bee forage in
USDA conservation programs;

.         Encourages an inter-agency dialogue about pollinator health that
includes appropriate sharing of guidance and technical expertise between
USDA, Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency;

.         Creates a USDA task force on bee health and commercial beekeeping
to enhance Federal cooperation relating to preservation of pollinators and
the pollination industry; 

.         Requests regular monitoring and reporting on health and population
status of pollinators (including bees, birds, bats, and other species);

.         Encourages agencies to utilize the best available peer-reviewed
science on environmental and chemical stressors to pollinators, including
giving consideration to international efforts addressing pollinator
declines; and 

.         Encourages assessment of honey bee research laboratories at USDA
and a feasibility study of collaborative options.

R. Thomas (Tom) Van Arsdall, Director of Public Affairs

   Pollinator Partnership <http://www.pollinator.org/> 

   (703) 509-4746

   tva at pollinator.org

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