Ontario’s bees are in unprecedented peril. In the past two years alone, Ontario has seen a 35 per cent decline in honey bees. The Friends of Pollinators Action Coalition and The Ontario Beekeepers’ Association (OBA) are asking for your help right now to convince the federal government to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides that have been linked to the recent massive honey bee die-offs.
“In April 2013 the European Union voted to ban the use of these extremely toxic pesticides. Canada needs to do the same. Our own Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has admitted that ‘current agricultural practices related to the use of neonicotinoid treated corn and soybean seed are affecting the environment due to their impacts on bees and other pollinators.'”
The OBA has a petition which currently has over 40,000 signatures with the hope of passing 50,000 before it is submitted at the end of the week to Premier Wynne. Please take a moment to sign the petition and share it with your friends and family here.
The OBA needs your help to make an impact at the federal level as well. “The Pest Management Regulatory Agency, the Federal body responsible for pesticide regulation and compliance in Canada, has issued a Call for Comments to their plans to protect bees from exposure to neonicotinoids. In their report (found here), they acknowledge that the majority of examined pollinator mortalities were a result of exposure to neonicotinoid insecticides and ‘that current agricultural practices related to the use of neonicotinoid treated corn and soybean seed are not sustainable.'”
The PMRA has suggested a number of protective measures, but not a ban as yet. “They need to hear from you! In addition to your own concerns, you can tell the PMRA that continued use of neonicotinoid pesticides poses an unacceptable likelihood of serious harm to honey bees and native pollinators and reduces pollination of wild plants in a way that may alter ecosystems. Tell them you are concerned about toxic build up in water and soil. Tell them you want these toxic chemicals removed from use before the 2014 planting season.”
Here is the email link for comments. You will need to provide your name, phone number and email address along with your comments. The deadline for submission to tell the PMRA it needs to ban these lethal pesticides is December12, 2013.
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