[Pollinator] CropLife Canada and bees

[Krusac, Dennis -FS]

Let’s make sure we don’t lose focus here.  The issue is way bigger than just honey bees, it involves all our native pollinators.

Dennis L. Krusac, Certified Wildlife Biologist
Endangered species Specialist/Pollinator Conservation Coordinator
USDA Forest Service
1720 Peachtree Road, NW, Suite 816 N
Atlanta, GA 30309
404-347-4338 (office)
404-660-4377 (cell)
404-347-4154 (fax)



From: Pollinator [mailto:pollinator-bounces+dkrusac=fs.fed.us at lists.sonic.net] On Behalf Of John Purdy
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2014 12:54 PM
To: Clement Kent
Cc: NAPPC listserv
Subject: Re: [Pollinator] CropLife Canada and bees

It may also be useful to note that there are beekeepers with high losses and beekeepers with low losses. this is inconsistent with the idea that pesticides are the whole story.  As bee diseases are known to be be a major reason for this, it will be important to promote biosecurity.
As one beekeeper in Quebec said.  "I want to be a beekeeper that is successful in todays agricultural environment"  Many beekeepers are.

On Fri, Aug 22, 2014 at 1:52 PM, Clement Kent <clementfkent at gmail.com<mailto:clementfkent at gmail.com>> wrote:
The last Pollinator Digest (v 1382, issue 1) had a note from CropLife Canada pointing readers to their "Beepocalypse? No" literature. Some readers may not know CropLife Canada - it is a trade organization supported by the largest manufacturers of pesticides including Bayer, Dow, DuPont, Monsanto, and Syngenta. In the past, they sought to bring suit in the Supreme Court of Canada against the City of Toronto for introducing a "no cosmetic use of pesticides" bylaw. The Canadian Environmental Law Association intervened and the bylaw was sustained and has been widely copied in Canadian municipalities.
At present, according to the  Sierra Club Foundation of Canada, "CropLife is in the midst of a major lobbying and public relations campaign to prevent Canada from adopting a ban on bee killing neonicotinoid pesticides" and has recently installed a just-retired Member of Parliament from the ruling Conservative Party on its Board of Directors. Sierra Club says "We are advised that this could constitute a conflict of interest" under a federal act and have asked the Federal Ethics commissioner to investigate.
This is useful background on CropLife Canada for pollination advocates to understand. The substantive claim on their web page is limited to the statement that the number of beehives in various jurisdictions is not in decline. What they do NOT mention is the loss rate of beehives, which has been much higher in recent years than the past in the same jurisdictions. Up to a point, beekeepers can replace lost hives, but this increases costs and has made many beekeepers unprofitable in recent years.
So, while the number of beehives does not yet indicate "Beepocalypse", loss rates are making it difficult for many beekeepers to stay in business. This is a warning sign we must heed.
Clement Kent

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