In the US the systemic neonicotinoids were introduced in 1991 and in the UK in 1994. The percentage of UK cropland treated with neonicotinoids has gone from 0.65% in 1994, to 24.4% in 2008. But the biggest increases have occurred in the last 10 years, from 1 million acres in 2000, to 2.5 million acres in 2008. We have collated a series of replies that we have personally received, or have seen, from the various Environmental Protection Agencies in Europe and the US. Uniformly, they all declined to impose a ban, because of „lack of evidence‟ that bees are being harmed. Attached is an article on the influence of Bayer Cropscience on Dutch policy makers (which appeared in the magazine "Vrij Nederland" on April 4, 2012).
UK Chemical Regulation Directorate: Defra, on behalf of Lord Henley, wrote to David Hanson MP on 15th February 2011 "the data have not raised any cause for concern."
European Union: On behalf of John Dalli, European Commission for Health and Consumers, Michael Flüh, Head of Unit, wrote to us on 25th January 2011 "on the basis of current knowledge a ban would not be justified."
European Union: On behalf of Vice-President Ashton, (also Michael Flüh), wrote to us on 3rd March 2011 "I would like to reiterate the points I raised in my letter of 25th January…"
US Environmental Protection Agency: On December 8th 2010, a letter was sent to the US EPA from six US organisations; National Honey Bee Advisory Board, American Beekeeping Federation, American Honey Producers Association, Beyond Pesticides, Pesticide Action Network North America and Center for Biological Diversity. In this letter they asked for suspension of the neonicotinoid pesticide, clothianidin. On February 8th 2011, Dr Steven Bradbury, Director, Office of Pesticide Programs wrote on behalf of Lisa P. Jackson, EPA Administrator: "At this time we are not aware of any data that reasonably demonstrates that bee colonies are subject to elevated losses due to chronic exposure to this pesticide".
Authors:
Dr Rosemary Mason, MB, ChB (Hons), D.Obst. RCOG, FRCA.
She worked in the UK National Health Service for about 35 years in: General Hospital Medicine and Obstetrics 3 years; Training in Anaesthetics and Intensive Care 8 years; Consultant Anaesthetist (Anesthesiologist) 25 years.
Author of Anaesthesia Databook; A perioperative and peripartum manual (600 pages) as a practical resource for trained anaesthetists. 1st edn. 1989, 2nd edn. 1994, 3rd edn. 2001; reprinted in 2009.
Assistant Editor of Anaesthesia, Journal of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, 1990 – 2000.
Palle Uhd Jepsen, former Senior Adviser in Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation for the Danish Forest and Nature Agency, Ministry of the Environment. Research on the feeding ecology of goldeneye. Before his retirement he was a member of the Danish Delegation on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, International Whaling Commission, Bonn Convention on Migratory Species, ASCOBANS (Agreement on Conservation of Small Cetaceans in the Baltic and North Sea) and Wetlands International. Adviser on Site Management for International Projects in Thailand, Malaysia, Belarus, Northern Ireland and Estonia. Author of several books on natural and cultural history in Denmark; also natural history in the Arctic.
27th May 2011
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