Grain farmers battle beekeepers over pesticide ban (via CBC News)
Posted: July 25, 2013
Categories: Food in the News
via CBC News Hamilton:
The Grain Farmers Association of Ontario is launching a public relations campaign to convince the province that a ban on pesticides suspected of being responsible for a major drop in the bee population is a bad idea.
“We want to make sure that any decisions are made with common sense and with a science-based approach. Anything else would be very premature,” said Barry Senft, CEO of the Grain Farmers Association.
Premier Kathleen Wynne, who is also the province’s Minister of Agriculture and Food, has been under pressure from bee and beekeeping organizations to impose a ban on neonicotinoid pesticides. Ontario’s bee population has fallen by roughly 35 per cent, and some groups feel that the pesticides are to blame.
Dan Davidson of the Ontario Beekeepers Association argues that pesticides are a key killer of bees and supports the ban, stating,
“I’m educated on neonicotinoids and I know what they’re capable of so I have no problem with them being banned. I’m sure if everyone knew and educated themselves on chemicals they’d feel the same way. A lot of farmers don’t know what they’re using, they’re just trusting what they hear from regulatory and from the chemical companies.”
The declining bee population has been a key concern to farmers, as many crops worldwide are pollinated by bees. Read the full article here.