Natural Beekeeping International Forum

[peebix]

Hello

I joined the forum actually to ask a question under 'Bee products'. But now I have joined, I have a general question too. I have had a layman interest in bees for a while, since CCD appeared, because it's obviously an important environmental and societal issue.

When my bee question came up today and I wanted to find some experts, I remembered that I had read earlier about a split in the beekeeping community, because the British Beekeepers Association was taking funding from the pesticide industry. I was just googling around, and did not find any up-to-date information. How did that turn out and what is the latest situation?

Thanks for any update.

[biobee]

See http://britishbeekeeping.com for the history of this debacle.

The BBKA never answered my question:

[peebix]

Thanks. I had seen that letter at the time, I think there was a Guardian article, and I remembered it. I also recall afterwards that the Environment Minister of the time, Mr Paterson, was making a great deal about a government report that exonerated neonicotinoids of any connection to CCD, disagreeing with multiple published papers in the scientific literature. The author of that report, Dr Helen Thompson, shortly later left her post with the UK government to join Syngenta. Interesting move, I assume she's doing well. All history now but thanks for your actions to highlight the issue at that time.

[madasafish]

There are no confirmed cases of CCD in the UK so your points about it are not relevant.

[peebix]

My point was that a scientist wrote a report that favoured the pesticide industry while employed by the UK govt, and shortly thereafter joined a pesticide company. It's directly relevant to the question of the close connection between the BBKA and the pesticide industry.

[madasafish]

I believe the BBKA no longer accepts money from pesticide companies.

[trekmate]

[biobee]

The BBKA never said that they would not take money from pesticide companies, merely that they would not take money for endorsements involving the use of the BBKA logo.

Those weasel words allow them plenty of scope to accept dirty money on any number of other pretexts, while continuing their policy of grovelling servitude to Bayer and Syngenta, as evidenced by their failure to campaign against neonicotinoids or any other pesticides that have been proven to be a danger to bees.