[All] Join GREN speaking out to save bees and other pollinators

[John Jackson]

GREN is sending out this alert to let you know that you have a golden
opportunity to speak up on behalf of bees and pollinators. We need your help
to reduce the negative impacts of Neonicotinoid pesticides--pesticides that
are highly toxic (10,000 times more toxic to bees than DDT), are "systemic"
(found in all parts of plants:  roots, leaves, pollen, nectar), have a very
long half-life in the environment, and are routinely applied whether or not
there is a pest problem. 


In the spring of 2013, the European Union suspended the use of
neonicotinoids.  In September 2013 this is what the Canadian Government said
about these pesticides:  "Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency
(PMRA) has determined that current agricultural practices related to the use
of neonicotinoid treated corn and soybean seed are affecting the environment
due to their impacts on bees and other pollinators." 



The PMRA is now asking the public to comment on the use of neonicotinoids.
 The comment period ends on December 12, 2013. The original PMRA document
can be found here 
<http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pest/part/consultations/_noi2013-01/noi2013-
01-eng.php> .


GREN is part of a coalition with several groups concerned about this issue,
including the Council of Canadians, the National Farmers Union, Pollination
Canada--Seeds of Diversity and Sierra Club Canada. Sierra Club has set-up a
form to make it easy for you to comment.  Just click here
<http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5654/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=15
437> , fill in the form, and click ³send². Submitting comments in your own
words is preferable, but you can use the suggested text if you so choose.


If you'd like to contact the PMRA directly on this topic, the email address
is: pmra.publications at hc-sc.gc.ca <mailto:pmra.publications at hc-sc.gc.ca>
 If you do decide to contact the PMRA directly, be sure to include your full
name, your phone number and your complete mailing or email address in the
body of your submission or the PMRA will invalidate your submission.
We know that the pesticide manufacturers are asking their allies to contact
the PMRA in support of the continued use of these toxic pesticides.  So it's
really important for the PMRA to hear our message loud and clear:  these
dangerous pesticides need to be banned. Thanks for standing up for the
pollinators.


  

P.S.  You may remember that back in 2012 Environment Canada invited comment
on a proposal to kill wolves as part of a so-called Œplan¹ to protect
Caribou. More than 20,000 comments forced the government to back-track.
Let¹s do it again ­ for the pollinators this time!

-- 
John Jackson
17 Major Street
Kitchener, Ontario N2H 4R1
519-744-7503


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://gren.ca/pipermail/all_gren.ca/attachments/20131208/20fd9492/attachment.html>