The Buzz Newsletter

January 2009

 

 

Page 5

10 Reasons NOT to Endorse Pesticides

Several people have asked me why I think the BBKA [British Beekeeping Association] should not take money from pesticide manufacturers in return for endorsing their products. That the question even needs to be asked seems to me a sad comment on the moral vacuum that many people inhabit these days, but here are some of the reasons that occur to me:

1. It is unnecessary. On the BBKA's own figures, the money from product endorsement could be replaced by a small increase in the annual membership fee - £1.00-£1.50 - depending on which BBKA document you read.

2. It is unethical. Do the Royal Horticultural Society endorse herbicides? Does the AA (the Automobile Association or Alcoholics Anonymous) endorse whisky? Do the Metropolitan Police endorse crack cocaine? Then why does the BBKA feel the need to endorse products that are toxic to bees?

3. It is unconstitutional. Nowhere in the BBKA Constitution can I find any passage that gives the executive the power to accept sponsorship money from corporations with a vested interest in selling compounds harmful to bees.

4. It damages their credibility. Do the BBKA expect to be taken seriously as advocates of bees and beekeeping, when a significant proportion of their income is derived from profit-seeking corporations with contrary aims?

5. It is against the stated objects of the BBKA. The BBKA constitution states: "The objects of the BBKA shall be: to promote and further the craft of beekeeping; to advance the education of the public in the importance of bees in the environment". Exactly how are either of these objects furthered by endorsing pesticides?

6. It is unprecedented. I know of no other beekeeping organization in the world that takes money for endorsing pesticides.

7. It makes the BBKA a laughing stock among other European beekeeping organizations, who have been campaigning for years against the use of pesticides that are toxic to bees, and which have killed billions of bees in France, Germany, Italy and elsewhere. The BBKA should be showing solidarity with our European colleagues, not spitting in their faces.

8. It is against the wishes of a significant number of UK beekeepers. If the feedback I have received is indicative of the proportion of beekeepers who have an opinion on this subject, then far more of them are against the idea than for it.

9. It creates a dangerous precedent. The BBKA are proposing to endorse products based solely on the data supplied by the manufacturer, without any requirement for independent testing. Once they have shown themselves susceptible to product endorsement, and have become dependent on the income, it will be all too easy to put their stamp on more and more products, until they lose all vestiges of the credibility they once had.

10. Bayer - one of the most vilified and untrustworthy corporations on the planet - will gain far more from this exercise that the paltry few thousand pounds they are handing to the BBKA. Their single aim is to make a profit - the bigger the better - and they are doing it by selling ever-increasing quantities of products that have been proven to be deadly to bees and all other insects - with the BBKA symbol on the label.

I could go on, but if you are not convinced by now, I would be wasting my time.

But I will add one more question: why is the BBKA executive so very, very keen to accept Bayer's money?

They have suppressed discussion of this subject on their web forum (banning me in the process); they have censored beekeepers' comments from their own web site, once they realized that they were all opposed to their position (see www.britishbeekeeping.com for details); they have published endless propaganda on this subject in their newsletters; they have refused to print opposing points-of-view; the president, Tim Lovett, has personally canvassed his own Surrey branch with an outrageous piece of propaganda that reads as if it was written by Bayer's PR agency, making clumsy links between rejecting endorsement proposals and 'extremism'; the president and two of the technical committee have strong links to the pharmaceutical industry, while another member of the technical committee, Norman Carreck is a strong advocate of chemical agriculture who has publicly supported GM and described crop rotation as 'old-fashioned'.

I think there is more to this than the BBKA executive is admitting. What do you think?

We call upon all beekeepers to make their views on this subject known to the BBKA.

You can send them an email using this form http://www.britishbee.org.uk/contact-hq.php or perhaps you would like to send the BBKA president, Tim Lovett, a personal message? If so, here is his email address - tjl@dermapharm.co.uk [note the fact that he owns/once owned a company in the same business as Bayer]

And - just to be fair - my email address is phil@biobees.com

Phil Chandler www.biobees.com

Unlike the BBKA, who have suppressed all discussion of this issue on the web or in print, we welcome debate - feel free to discuss it on our forum, whether or not you have an interest in 'natural' beekeeping.

Also see:

http://www.bayer-kills-bees.com

http://www.britishbeekeeping.com

"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. . . . Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money-power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."

(Origin unknown, often attributed to Abraham Lincoln)

Further reading:

Evidence That Pesticides Are Seriously Messing Up Our Honey Bees -

http://tinyurl.com/5an2e4 

Bee Product Producers Directory

We’re in the process of setting up a “producers directory” of bee products to be added to the IDALS website.  The intent of the directory is to assist in the marketing of locally produced bee products.  Any and all interested in adding your listing to this directory should send the necessary information (see below) to me, Andy.  For an example of what we’re aiming towards, please take a look at the Christmas Tree Growers Directory at

http://idalstest.a-t-g.com/Horticulture_and_FarmersMarkets/christmasTreeDirectory.asp

and try a couple searches.  

Again, this directory is open to any Iowa beekeeper with bee / hive products (honeys, pollen, wax products, nucs, soaps, balms, lotions, etc.) available for sale. 

Your information should include all that apply to your product offerings:

Beekeeper Name

Business Name

Product(s) For Sale

County

Address

State, Zip

Phone Number

Email

Website

Business Hours

Dates / Season Products Are Available

Directions 

Once we have received a number of listings for the directory, it will be made available online, and will continue to be updated and maintained from that point forward.  

Thanks,

Andy

Andrew.Joseph@IowaAgriculture.gov

(515) 326 5765