E.U...Banning Pesticides to help the bees (and our food )

[d-T-r]

http://www.avaaz.org/en/bye_bye_killers ... bb&v=23039

In less than 36 hours, the European Union will vote on whether to ban toxic pesticides that are killing bees around the world and threatening our food supply. The big corporations profiting from this vile stuff are lobbying furiously to defeat the ban and we've just heard that key governments are about to cave -- unless they feel the sting of public opinion!

Bees are disappearing around the world at alarming rates. Because bees pollinate our crops, experts are warning that these mass deaths pose a catastrophic threat to our food supply. Thankfully, numerous studies have now identified the likely culprit: a certain class of noxious pesticides. An official EU report found that banning them could solve the problem, but pesticide giant Bayer is trying to convince our leaders to ignore the science to protect their profits.

Over 2.5 million of us have signed the petition that made this vote possible -- and now it's time to tell our politicians that they must side with science to save the bees this week. Let’s flood the inbox of our Environment Secretary, drown out the corporate lobby, and make sure our government saves the bees and our food -- send a message using the tool on the right, then share this urgent campaign with your friends.

We delivered our 2.5 million strong call for an EU ban on bee-killing pesticides in Brussels right now! Together with a giant inflatable bee - we're confronting EU decision-makers today as they meet to vote on banning the deadly pesticides linked to a dramatic disappearance of our bees. But Bayer and other chemical giants are also out in full force trying to protect their profits. We need to counter the corporate bullying with a flood of messages to EU Agriculture Ministers to save bees now! Click here to take action: http://www.avaaz.org/bees_messages

http://www.foe.co.uk/what_we_do/bee_cau ... F35522.htm

Disease, chemicals and disappearing green spaces have all contributed to their dramatic decline in recent years.

What's it got to do with us?
Bees are vital to so much of British life. They pollinate our food, keep our farms in business and help our gardens, parks and countryside thrive. We may not always see bees working away but we rely on them and other insects to pollinate most of our fruit and vegetables.

Without bees, food prices would rise because pollinating crops in other ways would cost farmers over £1.8 billion a year.

Please ask David Cameron to help save bees

[d-T-r]

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/page/sp ... ip=CR8+5EB

Our environment secretary Owen Paterson is about to make a big mistake. Tomorrow he’s going to Europe to vote about the pesticides that are being blamed for killing our bees. But at the moment he’s planning supporting the pesticide industry and opposing stopping the use of them.

Can you call him straight away and persuade him to change his position?

With our bees pollinating up to three quarters of food crops, it’s scientific madness to risk their future.

And another one.

There are 3 separate petitions going on at the same time for this one thing , so don't be lame and think a few minutes of your day won't help out because it can. (check previous success stories of other e-petitions....avazz,38degrees etc)

[boomphat]

mailed

[test_recordings]

Done all of them, if it's EU wide as well that'll make a big difference

[d-T-r]

Yep. PArt of the reason it even got this far is because of the pre-cursor petitions.

Planning to make an article on them soon as they're quite underestimated in their effectiveness by the general population...

In relation to the bees, i think it's both a combination of these nasty lethal scents they can sense but also the elelctro-magnetic-radiation we emmit from our mobile phones,wifi devices etc Not to mention the effect these fairly 'new' frequency amounts are causing to our own long term health. Think about how little long-term safety checks were initially passed or even considered when these wireless communication devices first came to be popular daily items over the last 15 years specifically. most kids these days have a mobile by the age of 8!

Put a cordles phone near a beehive and you can see they do not like it what so ever.

In the mid eighties fewer than 3% of all people in most of the countries were using cell phones, but if you fast forward to today almost 100% of the people are using cell phones.

By the time they’re 19 or 20 years old, our children will have used the phone for 10 years, and we have no idea what type of risk that’s carrying. Now we live an an ocean of electromagnetic radiation.

It’s all around us now, invisible, but we know it’s there. Every time you lift up your mobile phone you know it’s there. It is very hard to turn the clock back, in fact it is impossible, but we need to be aware of the adverse health effects so that we can have the choice of taking precautions against the exposures.

How we could have possibly thought that putting microwaves to our brain was safe. We just don’t fully understand what we’re doing.

[Hedley King]

Nope:

EU nations have been unable to reach agreement on proposals to ban the use of three pesticides that have been linked to the decline of bees.

The European Commission had called for a two-year EU-wide moratorium, but a number of nations opposed the plans.

A recent report by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) concluded that the pesticides posed a "high acute risk" to pollinators, including honeybees.

The commission is expected to redraft its proposals ahead of another vote.

Member states were unable to reach a qualified majority in order for the proposals to be adopted.

The news of the stalemate has angered groups that had been campaigning in favour of the ban.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21793365

[d-T-r]

lame.

This is a cop-out by a significant number of European governments, including the UK - it means yet more dither and delay while our bee populations plummet

[d-T-r]

And then;

Bee-harming pesticides banned in Europe

EU member states vote ushers in continent-wide suspension of neonicotinoid pesticides

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... ned-europe






Europe will enforce the world's first continent-wide ban on widely used insecticides linked to serious harm in bees, after a European commission vote on Monday.

The landmark suspension is a victory for millions of environment campaigners concerned about dramatic declines in bees who were backed by experts at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). But it is a serious defeat for the chemical companies who make billions a year from the products and also UK ministers, who both argued that the ban will harm food production.

"Today's pesticide ban throws Europe's bees a vital lifeline, following a massive campaign backed by 2.6 million people," said Iain Keith, at Avaaz. "Europe is taking science seriously and must now put the full ban in place, to give bees the breathing space they need."

The vote by the 27 member states of the European Union to suspend the insect nerve agents was supported by most nations, but did not reach the required majority under EU voting rules. However, the hung vote hands the final decision to the European commission (EC) who will implement the ban. "It's done," said an EC source, indicating that a formal announcement on the ban is expected within weeks."

[finji]

[deadly_habit]

As long as we can still kill hornets and wasps, because fuck those little bastards.
Bees are cool though.

[test_recordings]

Sick, the UK tabloids are going to go nuts though saying the EC implemented something no-one wants.

Fucking good it got through though! Hopefully some more pro-environment measures will be on the cards

[Phigure]

pleasantly surprised to see they got it done

now if only the US could/would follow

[knell]

Fingers crossed that the bee population starts to pick back up now in Europe, it would hopefully be a nudge to get the ball rolling over here as well.

[test_recordings]

You US heads really need to take the power back off hte corporations.

I can see it's hard though, you have one of the most oligopolist societies with control of the media, as well as basically no democracy other than box-ticking

[d-T-r]

This part still worth mentioning though >>>>

In reality, a two year suspension is not enough to see our bee populations recover. Neonicotinoids have a half-life (the time taken for half of the chemical to disappear) in soil of over three years, and will still be used on winter crops. The next step is to put a monitoring program in place which will assess how all pollinators, not just honeybees, are doing as a result of the ban,” Vanessa Amaral-Rogers further argued.

Still a step in the right direction either way and something to build upon.

[deadly_habit]

You US heads really need to take the power back off hte corporations.

I can see it's hard though, you have one of the most oligopolist societies with control of the media, as well as basically no democracy other than box-ticking

It's hard to do when corporations have all the rights and get the treatment of an individual, but get added government subsidies and special treatment.
It's also kind of hard to get those rights and favors revoked when those corporations are bankrolling the politicians campaigns, funding the special interest groups and lobbyists, and taking politicians on free vacations and lunches.

Prime personal example: Last summer I was beating on doors trying to let people know about fracking in NY and particularly how they were trying to do it close to where we get our drinking water from.
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation was supposed to do a report on the safety of fracking and potential adverse effects.
Low and behold the gas companies that would be doing the fracking moved in offices a couple blocks from the Department of Environmental Conservation and while beating on doors did some more research and I found out they could be privately lobbied and they were actively being taken out to dinners/lunches etc by the companies.

Then earlier this year info started to come out: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/ ... RT20130103

This is just on a state level, and it surely trickles down to city, county, town etc
And then federal level it's higher stakes so surely it's even worse there.

[kay]

Unless they ban all pesticides, farmers are just going to swap to a different class of pesticides aren't they?

And how much research into bee decline was done before the introduction of this pesticide?

[d-T-r]

Unless they ban all pesticides, farmers are just going to swap to a different class of pesticides aren't they?

And how much research into bee decline was done before the introduction of this pesticide?

Certain pesticides/insecticides are less harmful and toxic to bees and other species than others.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neonicotinoid

People have been noticing bee decline for a while too. The documentary i posted above is focused around e.m.f's which i personally think are responsible for a larger amount of the decline than pesticides.

[d-T-r]

http://www.foe.co.uk/news/government_na ... 40616.html


"Bee decline: Government to introduce "national pollinator strategy"
28 June 2013

The Government will urgently review the decline of bees - leading to a "national pollinator strategy".

Environment Minister Lord de Mauley made the announcement at a Friends of the Earth Bee Summit later this morning.

It follows an intense campaign by the environment charity for a Bee Action Plan - backed by big business, over 200 MPs and massive public outcry. This morning shadow bees minister Huw Irranca-Davies gave Labour's solid support for a bee action plan.
We need a plan - and fast

Wild honey bees are nearly extinct. Some species of bumblebee have been lost altogether.

Friends of the Earth's Bee Summit is bringing together the likes of MPs, scientists and farmers to agree how to reverse the serious decline in Britain's bees.

Executive director Andy Atkins welcomed Lord de Mauley's announcement. But the environment charity wants specific commitment from the Government - in particular:

An action timetable commencing spring 2014 when bees wake up from hibernation.
Measurable targets for reversing the loss of bees and other pollinators.
The plan must involve other Government Departments, not just DEFRA

We're delighted that enormous pressure for a Bee Action Plan from scientists, businesses and the public has stung the Government into action.

The Minister's plan of action must be in place when bees emerge from hibernation next spring - we can't afford to gamble any longer with our food, countryside and economy.

Friends of the Earth Executive Director Andy Atkins
Swarms of support - but we can't rest up

In just one week over 20,000 of you backed our Bee Cause action asking Lord de Mauley for a strong Bee Action Plan. It was a fantastic effort.

But public concern is understandable. The University of Reading recently revealed that a third of all honeybee colonies in England died over the winter.

Please help us keep up the pressure on the Government.

Tell David Cameron you want a strong Bee Action Plan in place for next Spring.

Thank you."

[SCope13]

great news!