Selfsufficientish.com

Just recieved this (predictable) response from the government
.

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to ban the use of Neonicotinoid insecticides in crops grown within the united kingdom. More details

Submitted by Ian Forsyth – Deadline to sign up by: 03 June 2010 – Signatures: 1,051
More details from petition creator

a plethora of recent studies from Italy, Germany, America etc. are implicating Neonicotinoid insecticides (an insect nerve poison) in causing sub-lethal and lethal affects to honeybee's exposed to plants grown from seeds coated in Neonicotinoid insecticide or treated with Neonicotinoid insecticide - typically maize, sunflower and rapeseed - these sublethal effects, affect the bee's ability to orient itself and return to the colony; additionaly it is likely the detrimental effects are compounded synergistically as the bee is weakened and becomes more susceptible to natural disease, parasitic fungii and parasites such as varroa destructor - implicated in the world wide colony collapse disorder we are currently experiencing. neonicitinoid insecticides have recently been banned in other european countries and are being reviewed in the US - home of the corporations pushing these systemic insecticides.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/BeeDeath/
Government response

The Government does not intend to ban the class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids. There is no evidence that authorised pesticides pose an unacceptable risk to the health of bees.

Part of the authorisation process of pesticides is an assessment of risks to wildlife, including foraging bees and bee hives. Products are routinely restricted in the way they can be used (e.g. specifying dose rates, timing and place of application) to ensure protection of human health and the environment. The Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS) investigated a number of bee deaths reported to it last year. None of these cases established neonicotinoid pesticides as the cause of death.

The active substances of this group of pesticides are all approved in the EU, although a small number of Member States have differing product restrictions for a number of reasons. In Germany there were incidents of significant losses of bees in 2008 due to failure to use an appropriate sticker to hold the pesticide on the seed, and poorly maintained application equipment. This resulted in the release of dust containing the pesticide and as the timing of drilling coincided with the flowering of neighbouring oilseed rape crops a number of bees died. The product was applied at a higher dose than is currently approved in the UK. Initially the German authorities withdrew approval for eight products used on maize and oilseed rape but since then, they have re-instated the use of four products containing neonicotinoids for use on oilseed rape. Measures taken by Slovenia followed incidents similar to those in Germany, but Italian measures are based on the German experience, and are a precaution while Italy develops a monitoring system similar to WIIS. France is concerned that the pesticide used to treat the seed moves in to the flowering part of the plant and hence honeybees may be exposed to it. As far as we are aware there is no evidence to support this concern. As part of the UK approval process this route of exposure is assessed.

Yup, I got one too!

The No 10 petitions site should really just read "Please enter your name here to be added to the list of people we're going to completely ignore."

Online petitions are worthless. In fact, they're worse than useless - they let you feel you're "doing something", when in fact you'd be as well writing your complaints on a piece of toilet paper immediately prior to using it. It's simply one more way to channel dissent into easily controlled and ignored forms. We put about 3 million people on the streets prior to the Iraq war and they ignored the hell out of that, so what makes you think that filling in a form on the internet is going to make any difference?

You might as well try to petition the tides.

gregorach, well said. These on-line petitions are just a very blunt, ineffective tool. Did any ever work, does anyone know? The only faint praise is that signatories would otherwise do nothing at all.

Here, one person can ring a candidate who is looking for votes and get a job done (petty stuff - water leaks, pot holes etc). The satisfied person gives first preference vote to this parish pump politician, who then votes to close a hospital in the face of mass protests/petitions.

What Gregorach said. They exist to blunt protest and dissent, not to give it a voice. I still sign them, because I am an optimist.

Still.

MuddyWitch wrote: France is concerned that the pesticide used to treat the seed moves in to the flowering part of the plant and hence honeybees may be exposed to it. As far as we are aware there is no evidence to support this concern. As part of the UK approval process this route of exposure is assessed.

Or, rather, "no evidence we'd care to acknowledge, because it would be terribly inconvenient to our chums in the argo-industrial business who make sure we'll never want for a seat on the board when the populace tire of us."

The anacdotal evidence here in France is highly suggestive that - whatever the UK govt. may chose to believe - neoncotinoide sprays impact bee populations. Our bee keepers here are reporting much reduced levels of colony collapse and far better health since the ban was put in place.

So, dear ConDems, if you say it's not pesticides, then tell us what is causing bee declines.

How does this...

...a plethora of recent studies...

equal that;

There is no evidence that authorised pesticides pose an unacceptable risk to the health of bees.

Nomada wrote:How does this...

...a plethora of recent studies...

equal that;

There is no evidence that authorised pesticides pose an unacceptable risk to the health of bees.

I think the key word there is "unacceptable," as in, "There's plenty of evidence for risk, but we're willing to accept that level of risk. We don't care whether you think it's acceptable or not."

SHEESH. whats next???

Zech wrote:

Nomada wrote:How does this...

...a plethora of recent studies...

equal that;

There is no evidence that authorised pesticides pose an unacceptable risk to the health of bees.

I think the key word there is "unacceptable," as in, "There's plenty of evidence for risk, but we're willing to accept that level of risk. We don't care whether you think it's acceptable or not."

So short sighted and idiotic, if they realised just how much of our food is dependent on insect pollination. I wish I could smack some sense into them.