Recently announcing some decisions over neonicotinoid use in Canada, Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) opted against bees in favour of pesticide manufacturers, the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association (OBA) says.
PMRA intends to continue registration of two widely-used neonicotinoids, stating that the current risk to bees from seed application of clothianidin and thiamethoxam on corn and soy is acceptable. “PMRA’s decision goes against overwhelming scientific evidence showing acute and chronic effects on bees, and the experience of Ontario beekeepers whose bees continue to suffer from a decade of overuse of neonicotinoids on soy, corn and winter wheat,” OBA says in a news release.
“Ontario beekeepers are suffering declining honey production, higher queen losses and continued unacceptable winter and spring losses,” says OBA president, Jim Coneybeare. “In Ontario we are still seeing dead or dying, twitching bees in front of our hives. Allowing the loss of pollinators from pesticide exposure to continue is unacceptable.”
In 2015, the Ontario government determined that only 15 – 20% of crop acreage required pest protection using neonicotinoid seed treatments and initiated legislation to limit access to pesticide-treated seed only to farmers who can demonstrate they need protection from the pests targeted by this pesticide.
PMRA has proposed cancelling registrations on some uses of neonicotinoids in food and ornamental crops but has only asked for new labelling on seed treatments related to reducing dust at planting.
“Ontario beekeepers are hopeful that Ontario’s Class 12 legislation will allow farmers access to crop protection in a way that also protects our vital insect pollinators,” says Coneybeare. “The only group that could possibly benefit from PMRA’s decision are the manufacturers of these pesticides.”
