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Beekeepers Sue Bayer & Syngenta for $400 Million Over Bee-Killing Pesticides

http://www.naturalcuresnotmedicine.com/2014/09/beekeepers-sue-bayer-syngenta-400-million-bee-killing-pesticides.html

awyers have recently initiated a class action lawsuit in the Ontario Supreme Court on behalf of all Canadian Beekeepers against the makers of the commonly used pesticide blamed for massive bee deaths. If successful, beekeepers who join the Class could recover losses and damages from as far back as 2006.

Scientists say they have conclusive evidence that neonicotinoids, also known as neonics, which are the widest used class of insecticide ever, are killing bees and other insects and harming the environment. This type of pesticide is applied to the soil, sprayed on the crop or used as a seed treatment, but eventually the chemicals reach the pollen and nectar, which is ingested by insects. In honey bees, it is believed that the pesticide causes high mortality rates because it affects the bees’ homing abilities. Honey bees are believed to pollinate about one-third of the world’s crops.

In March 2012 the journal Science published a study showing that neonicotinoid pesticides are contributing to the alarming decline in bee populations across the globe. The research involved colonies of the bumble bee Bombus terrestri being exposed to levels of the pesticide normally found in fields. These bee colonies suffered an 85% decline in production of new queens.

The European Union voted to restrict the use of pesticides whilst further studies were undertaken.

However that same year Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency received a huge number of reports of sudden bee losses right across southern Ontario and parts of Quebec. These reports happened to coincide with corn planting in those same regions. Scientists collected samples of these bees and found residues of the neonicotinoid insecticides used to treat the corn seeds in almost 70% of the dead bees.

A new study by the Task Force on Systemic Pesticides is backing up the claims that this class of pesticides is responsible for the widespread colony collapse.
The study analyzed 800 peer-reviewed reports on the impacts of the pesticides and concluded that there is enough evidence of harm that action must be taken to ban the substances.

The neonics are a nerve poison for the insects and invertebrates – such as earthworms, and impair their memories, their ability to navigate as well as making them susceptible to disease. The study claims they have become the most widely used group of insecticides globally, with sales of over $282 billion dollars in 2011.
Elizabeth Elle, a conservation biologist from Simon Fraser University, says “Right now we know that all the documented evidence for the managed bees that we use for agriculture is that they’re hurting, they’re declining, and that’s why we should care…I think this study tells us it’s time to stop using these pesticides.”

Birds, bats and insects all pollinate flowering plants, but the most prolific pollinator is the honeybee. U.S. commercial beekeepers take millions of bee hives on the road each year to pollinate crops such as blueberries and papaya, almonds and apples, in addition to a multitude of other fruits, vegetables and nuts. Close to one third of our food supply is linked to pollination. Without the bee our diet would be less nutritious and less tasty. Bee die offs are a serious issueand need to be addressed.

The lawsuit announced earlier today by The Ontario Beekeepers Association, is being lead by Sun Parlor Honey Ltd. and Munro Honey, two of Ontario’s largest honey producers. The claim is seeking over $400 Million in damages from Bayer Cropscience Inc., Syngenta Canada Inc., and their parent companies stating that the use of neonicotinoid pesticides resulted in:
Damage or death to beekeepers’ colonies and breeding stock
Toxic, contaminated beeswax, honeycombs and hives
A decrease in overall honey production
A loss of profits and unrecoverable costs, such as an increase in labor and supply costs

Affected beekeepers who would like to join the suit should to contact Paula Lombardi at the London, Ont.-based law firm Siskinds LLP.

SOURCE:
Ontario Beekeepers Association