Tired of inaction on neonic pesticides and dwindling bee populations, Ontario beekeepers are taking the manufacturers to court.
The class action lawsuit against Bayer and Syngenta seeks $450 million in damages. "Beekeepers have suffered, and will continue to suffer devastating economic hardships as a result of the continued use of Neonicotinoids," they state, because the companies continue to produce, market and sell them.
Damages include: bee deaths; impaired reproduction; immune suppression; behavioral abnormalities resulting in hive loss; reduced honey production; impacts on the quality of honey; contamination of hive equipment; loss of Queen Bees; breeding stock; and difficulties fulfilling honey product or pollination contracts.
Over the past winter, for example, bee colonies declined 58%, according to the Canadian Association of Professional Apiculturists.
"These companies have raked in billions selling these pesticides in full knowledge of how lethal they are to bees," says Sierra Club Canada.
Two of the biggest beekeepers in Ontario filed the lawsuit in Superior Court on behalf of all Canadian beekeepers – 30 have already joined with hundreds expected to follow.
Meanwhile in the US
Samples taken in Iowa streams show that neonics are everywhere – they showed up in all the water bodies tested, and are "both mobile and persistent in the environment," according to recent research by the US Geological Survey.
During last year’s growing season, researchers took 79 water samples in nine rivers and streams and published their results in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Pollution, reports Mother Jones. They chose Iowa because its vast farmland is filled with neonic-treated corn and soybeans.
Not surprisingly, neonic levels spiked after spring planting and concentrations toxic to aquatic wildlife. Even before planting neonics were there at lower levels indicating their persistence.
In the US, the EPA is going to court over the same issue – refusing to address the problem.
Read our article, Neonics Impact Now Conclusive; Home Depot, BJ’s Take First Steps to Help Pollinators.
Read the Mother Jones article, Midwestern Waters Are Full of Bee-Killing Pesticides:
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NORAHG RESPONDS TO LITIGIOUS BEE-KEEPERS & THEIR CLASS-ACTION IN ONTARIO ? THE LAWSUIT WILL FAIL BECAUSE BEE-KEEPERS ARE NEGLIGENT AND INCOMPETENT !
An ill-fated class-action-lawsuit has been filed by lawyers representing anti-pesticide and litigious bee-keepers to recover alleged damages suffered due to neonicotinoid insecticides used by the agriculture industry since 2006. Observers predict that the litigious bee-keepers will LOSE THE LAWSUIT, and will NOT RECOVER ANY LOSSES AND DAMAGES. The lawsuit will fail to prove that ONLY neonicotinoid insecticides were to blame for bee losses. According to leading expert Dr Ernesto Guzman, neonicotinoid poisoning is, of course, a factor, but it is NOT the only factor. The bee-keeper lawsuit will be unable to avoid the fact that there is no bee crisis caused by neonicotinoid insecticides, since only a very limited number of bee-keepers have reported losses. The lawsuit will fail to prove that bee-keepers were not negligent and not incompetent with their management practices. It will fail to prove that they performed due diligence to control varroa mites, nosema fungus, tobacco ringspot virus, and other pests that damage bees. The real causes of bee mortality are these pests that bee-keepers appear to be unable or unwilling to properly control. They would rather lay false blame against neonicotinoid insecticides. The bee-keeper lawsuit will fail to prove that there is even a bee crisis with neonicotinoid insecticides. There is no such bee crisis according to leading experts like Dr Ernesto Guzman, who has stated that there is evidence that varroa mites are the primary problem associated to bee losses in southern Ontario, and neonicotinoid insecticides have been associated to only some isolated cases of colony losses. The bee-keeper lawsuit will even fail to prove that there is any bee crisis at all. There is no bee crisis according to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, who has stated that many bee-keeping operations have NOT been affected and have been able to maintain strong and healthy bee colonies, as evidenced by hive strength and honey production. There is no bee crisis according to Statistics Canada, which has stated that the number of honey bee colonies are up, and NOT down, in the province of Ontario and across Canada. The bee-keeper lawsuit will be unable to explain that the Canadian Honeybee Industry is actually thriving, with the total number of bee-keepers in Canada actually rising dramatically since 2008. The lawsuit will be unable to explain that Canada’s honey yield is twice the world’s average. It will be unable to explain why Canadian Honey Council actively opposes prohibition against neonicotinoid insecticides. The bee-keeper lawsuit will be unable to contradict the fact that there is no bee crisis caused by neonicotinoid insecticides. The lawsuit will fail to prove that bee-keepers did NOT tamper with the samples provided to Health Canada which measured some detectable insecticide ingredient. It will also fail to prove that the mere ability to measure or detect the presence of insecticide ingredient in a bee colony is NOT an indication that it harmed bees. The lawsuit will also fail to explain why bee-keepers are violating federal law by using illegal and unregistered products to control bee pests. Observers have consistently pointed out to how much profit the anti-pesticide bee-keepers will make if they succeed in a class-action lawsuit. They appear motivated by mere profit and greed. There is no bee crisis with neonicotinoid insecticides, and THE LAWSUIT WILL FAIL ! However, there IS a bee crisis with negligent and incompetent bee-keepers. Even if the class-action lawsuit is somehow successful, we would still have bee losses because many bee-keepers are NOT competent to manage their hives. Let the litigious and anti-pesticide bee-keepers face the spotlight of scrutiny and the terror of the courts. For more information about the ONTARIO BEE-KEEPER CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT, go to The Pesticide Truths Web-Site … http://tinyurl.com/ph4a6xc NORAHG is the National Organization Responding Against HUJE that seek to destroy the Green space industry. WILLIAM H GATHERCOLE AND NORAH G Get the latest details at http://pesticidetruths.com/ http://pesticidetruths.com/toc/ http://wp.me/P1jq40-2rr https://www.facebook.com/norah.gfon