CropLife Canada responds to a recent La Presse article on neonics
CropLife Canada's response to La Presse article, 'Ces élus qui ont les gonades de leur engagement'.
About a decade ago various media outlets in Quebec started warning about a bee apocalypse that was being fueled by a certain class of pesticides – neonics. The provincial government responded by severely restricting the use of neonic seed treatments, resulting in almost zero use today in most crops.
Bee colony numbers have been steadily rising in Quebec over the last number of decades, even during the height of neonic use. The major challenge for beekeepers has been overwintering losses, which fluctuate from year to year. Experts widely recognize the Varroa mite and weather conditions as the primary drivers of overwintering loss, and restrictions on neonics have not addressed overwintering loss issues.
In Europe, despite robust bee colony numbers that were steadily rising over decades, they implemented severe restrictions on the use of neonics. Bee health outcomes have not changed one way or the other as a result. Restrictions on neonics in both Quebec and Europe have done nothing to protect bees while removing a valuable tool from farmers’ toolboxes.
The reality is that bee health is a complex issue that is impacted by a variety of factors. In addition to the devastating impacts of the Varroa mite, beekeepers must also contend with changing climate conditions, poor management practices by some and lack of access to nutrition due to habitat loss. There is no simple, singular solution.
Neonic seed treatments have been an important innovation for farmers. Applied directly to the seed it significantly reduced the amount of active ingredient required to protect crops and reduced unnecessary exposure to non-target organisms like bees.
Villainizing pesticides and pointing to them as the cause of all environmental harms has become common place. It is a dangerous trend that distracts from efforts to develop holistic solutions to complex challenges like bee health. And it is setting agricultural innovation back at a time where we need to be driving innovation forward to meet the needs of a growing population while protecting the environment.
Pierre Petelle
President and CEO, CropLife Canada