English

Government ministers have failed to grasp the seriousness of challenges posed by the withdrawal of important pesticides. More research in alternative crop protection is needed to meet demand for food as pesticides are taken off the market due to European legislation, DEFRA has been told. The warning is contained in an open letter to farm minister David Heath from professor Toby Bruce, of the Association of Applied Biologists, and NFU president Peter Kendall (attached).

A new study (attached), sponsored by Bayer CropScience, Syngenta, the European Seed Association, the European Crop Protection Association, and the European Farmers and European Agri-Cooperatives, has said that a ban on neonicotinoid seed treatments would cost the EU economy up to €4.5 billion a year, put 50 000 jobs at risk and threaten sustainable food production. The report by the Humboldt Forum for Food and Agriculture (HFFA) purports to be the first comprehensive review of the socio-economic and environmental contribution of neonicotinoid seed treatment.

The HBA Convention was held, as in previous years, at Barton Peveril College, Eastleigh, near Southampton on 10th November 2012. Confronting environmental issues 'head on' we had speakers on systemic pesticides, Genetically Modified crops and global warming! With the recently published results of research undertaken in both France and Scotland pointing to detectable effects of sub-lethal levels of systemic insecticides on the nervous systems of pollinators, we were fortunate in having as a speaker Henk Tennekes, an independent toxicologist and one of the founders of http://www.smallbluemarble.org.uk a charity supporting independent research into systemic insecticides, who presented his findings on neonicotinoid insecticides and species decline. ‘His blunt, evidence based presentation was very stimulating and pulled no punches delivering the ‘chilling’ message that neonicotinoids, targeted at insects attacking plants also affected bees and other insects collecting pollen and nectar.’ It was shocking to discover how toxic and persistent these chemicals are and that they are water soluble and leach through soil to affect many arthropods and invertebrate species and so affect a wide range of animals, including humans, higher up ‘the food chain’. ‘Henk’s relevant and thought provoking presentation made a strong impression on all those present and whether or not we agreed with all his conclusions it certainly made one want to learn more about neonicotinoids’. His lecture is attached (The Italian Union of Beekeepers' Associations [Unaapi - Mieliditalia] is distributing this lecture in Italian, see below. Maria Jose Pastor Rodriguez of Unaapi - Mieliditalia prepared a Spanish translation of the lecture, attached). Hampshire BKA has a Proposition before BBKA ACM recommending the notification of neonicotinoid-treated seed sowing to raise awareness and enable monitoring of effects on colony health and mortality. ’We should all take action to make the public aware of this problem’’.

Ten species have become extinct in the 60-year reign of HM The Queen but even that stark loss hides the scale of the problem. In this report we reveal the rate of loss of flowers from over 50 counties across England, Scotland and Wales, covering more than half of the British land area. British counties hold, on average, about 950 native species of flowers. They range from South Hampshire, the richest, with 1,265 species, to Shetland, the poorest, with 473 species. We have selected counties across England, Scotland and Wales to illustrate the loss of our wild flowers and the factors behind them.

There is emerging evidence that organochlorine and organophosphorus insecticide exposure may be linked to excessive weight gain and symptoms of diabetes. However, there is a lack of knowledge for other types of insecticides with potential influence on obesity and diabetes. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to determine the role of imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide, in lipid metabolism by use of 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Imidacloprid treatment potentiated lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and significantly increased expression of a key regulator of adipocyte differentiation and key regulators of lipogenesis. These results imply the involvement of imidacloprid in altered adipogenesis, resulting in increased fat accumulation. This finding is the first report of a potential link between neonicotinoid insecticide exposure and lipid accumulation in adipocytes.

A conversation with Matt Shardlow, CEO of Buglife the invertebrate conservation trust and – as ‘The Independent’ put it – “the environmentalist with the most conspicuous rising reputation in Britain”. In this Talking Naturally (TN) podcast we are discussing neonicotinoids, an incredibly toxic group of chemicals that appear to be having a massive impact on invertebrates. Matt explains what neonicotinoids are, the serious impacts they’re having, and why Buglife is threatening legal action against the government saying that their use should be halted under the EU law of ‘Precautionary Principle’. Listen to the TN podcast: http://www.talking-naturally.co.uk/tn104-matt-shardlow-ceo-of-buglife-o…

As part of an overall ‘biodiversity crisis’, many amphibian populations are in decline throughout the world. Numerous factors have contributed to these declines, including habitat destruction, pathogens, increasing ultraviolet (UV) radiation, introduced non-native species and contaminants. In this paper we review the contribution of increasing UV radiation and environmental contamination to the global decline of amphibian populations. Both UV radiation and environmental contaminants can affect amphibians at all life stages.