Friday, 24 July 2015

Watching the Bees and Qs


The NFU have apparently negotiated an 'emergency' relaxing on the ban of neonicotinoid pesticides that have been linked to changes in the behaviour and survivorship of bees and other pollinators (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/23/uk-suspends-ban-pesticides-linked-serious-harm-bees). The ban is said to have been removed so that rape seed oil growers can treat their crop to kill off cabbage stem flea beetle which can damage the monoculture. I am not sure that such 'temporary' relaxations are either warranted or desirable. Certainly, even farmers can't do without their pollinators.

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