the neonicotinoid molecule
The remaining authorised uses are available only to professionals , with exceptions limited to possible treatment of bee-attractive crops in greenhouses and open-air fields only after flowering .
The downright ugly
Bee numbers are falling , dramatically . Whereas this is just our opinion , it seems that the lack of data about the effects of neonicotinoids on bee populations is more convenient than anything else . A chemical designed to attack insect neurosystems does it ’ s job , and there appears to be no evidence that bees are affected any differently to any other insect .
It is interesting that the research shows that it does kill bees in high doses , but then scientists say there is no evidence to suggest they are harmful at the field level . Why not ? They know how it works on pest species , without that data they would not be able to sell their product .
So why not organic ?
Is it me , or would it be really stupid to release a molecule into the environment capable of killing a whole order of animal life ? Isn ’ t it time for more enlightened times when we realize the importance of all of nature in providing our food , and that the sledge hammer to crack a nut
philosophy of farming does nothing for the environment ?
Interestingly , all of the comments in the UK since the ban have centered on three basic ideas . The lack of scientific evidence , which we have already discussed , the cost of the ban to farmers , and the need to feed a hungry world .
Writing in the Financial Times , the Chief Medical Officer , Sir Mark Walport , said :
“ People considering a ban must look at the impact of a moratorium on the challenge of feeding a growing global population with a changing climate . They should also consider the economic cost of severe reductions in yields to struggling European farmers and economies .”
It has been widely reported that the cost of the ban will be around £ 690 million to farmers , especially growers of oil seed rape .
It seems that harm to the environment has financial value . So long as money is the arbiter of sense , all kinds of strange arguments will follow . In the meantime , we choose to grow our own food , thank you , in the garden , organically in the hope that one day the penny will drop . There are no technological solutions to environmental problems .
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