Press Release: Federation des apiculteurs du Quebec/OBA alliance
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ontario and Quebec beekeepers call for the suspension of neonicotinoid pesticides
Milton, Ontario, July 2, 2013: The Ontario Beekeepers’ Association (OBA) and the Fédération des apiculteurs du Québec have appealed to their respective Ministers of Agriculture and Environment to immediately ban neonicotinoid pesticides in field crops.
Both Quebec and Ontario have experienced heavy losses of colonies this spring. These losses are similar to those experienced in 2012 demonstrating what appears to be a longer term decline in bee population as a result of the continued use of these highly toxic pesticides.
‘’Our industry cannot sustain these losses. Reduced numbers of pollinators also threaten the viability of our local fruit and vegetable supply.’ says Dan Davidson, President of the Ontario Beekeepers Association.
The federal Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) concluded in their report: Evaluation of Canadian Bee Mortalities that coincided with Corn Planting in Spring 2012, “The information evaluated suggests that planting of corn seeds treated with the nitro-guanidine insecticides clothianidin and/or thiamethosam contributed to the majority of the bee mortalities that occurred in corn growing regions of Ontario and Quebec in Spring 2012.”
On April 29, the European Union suspended for two years the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in Europe.
Quebec and Ontario beekeepers have agreed to work together to obtain a ban before next planting session, says Léo Buteau, President, of the Fédération des apiculteurs du Québec, It is time to stop poisoning our bees, our water and our soil. »
Ontario and Quebec’s Ministers of Agriculture will be meeting in Halifax on July 17-19. It is expected that the pesticide issue will be an important topic of their discussions.
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Media Inquiries:
Julie White
Board Member,
Ontario Beekeepers Association
(647) 988-5942
Christine Jean
Directrice générale
Fédération des apiculteurs du Québec
Apiculteur apiculteur@upa.qc.ca
Tél. 450 679-0540 poste 8601
