Dan Rather Report On Bees, Colony Collapse & Neonicotinoids
Watch this Dan Rather Report On Bees, colony collapse and neonicotinoids, including investigation into the EPA, and interview with Tom Theobald.
Note the comments made by J. Vroom, president of Crop Life America.
He states that people are going hungry, that we need to produce more, and pesticides do wonders for food production.
Firstly, in response to Mr Vroom, I would say this:
If we need to produce more food, we had better protect our pollinators - I'd suggest part of this protection means that we don't poison them with pesticides! Think on it, Mr Vroom!
Then I would make two further points:
1. I have previously mentioned in posts that there is no food shortage
- not due to lack of food, at least. Globally, we waste ONE THIRD of
our food every year - mostly its developed countries wasting it (see
link to UN report below).
Yes, people are going hungry, but this is not because there isn't enough food in the world to go round.
Unfortunately, we don't distribute it properly. The weather in some areas is causing problems, and then there are political and social factors that cause some to go without.
Of course recently - especially in the US, the actions of a few selfish financial institutions have had a devastating impact on the economy and the lives of ordinary people, leaving them struggling to make ends meet.
Then of course there is the
trading in vital food stuffs, and price hikes that threaten supply of
food in poorer countries.
2. But even if we did need to produce more food, are pesticides our saviours? Will they help us produce more?
Government studies suggest not - see What's the point of neonicotinoids?
In addition, the results from a 30 year trial at Pennsylvania's Rodale Institute showed that organic methods signficantly out-performed traditional farming methods in all respects! Read more (opens new window): Study Debunks Myth On Organic Farms.
Now for that Dan Rather Report On Bees!
Download UN Food Wastage Report
Opens new window.
Eating Organic
Go to this page about how eating organic can help the bees!
Pssst ... spread the word!
