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Conference Board of Canada reports cost of banning neonicotinoids
Jul. 22, 2014
Restricting a common but controversial neonicotinoids pesticide blamed for the deaths of millions of bees could deliver a $630-million sting to Ontario corn and soybean farmers, a new study warns.
In yet another sign the debate about neonicotinoids and the collapse of bee colonies is only growing, the Conference Board of Canada costed the fallout of restrictions on using the family of pesticides in a study paid for by the Grain Farmers of Ontario and CropLife Canada, a pest-control industry group.
An outright ban on the inexpensive pesticide would cost growers $700 to $90,000, depending on the size of their farms — a hit many would have to eat.
The move would give an advantage to U.S. farmers and put some Ontario farmers out of business. Others would be forced to scale back their operations, the board’s report said. "Thousands of Ontario grain farmers already operate on slim margins," it noted.
Held out by environmentalists as more toxic to bees than the 1970s-era pesticide DDT was to birds, neonicotinoids are already banned in Europe and under growing scrutiny by regulators in Canada.
This year, Canada's federal regulator ordered tougher planting season rules to reduce bee losses. And Ontario — it can't ban the pesticide, only sales of it — appears moving to restrict its use. Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal says he wants Ontario to “move away from the widespread, indiscriminate use” of neonicotinoids and develop a system by 2015 to ensure they’re used only where there’s “demonstrated need.”
Critical to plant pollination, bees were especially hard hit last year in Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba, with beekeepers pointing to the family of pesticides as the smoking gun.
Seed and chemical companies disagree, saying their products are tested and aren’t the killer. Opponents of a ban suggest a tiny mite — not the chemicals — is the culprit for collapsing bee colonies.
The Ontario Beekeepers’ Association wants to promote more discretionary use of the pesticide by lobbying for a ban on seeds pre-treated with neonicotinoids.
"That is the balance we see happening," Dan Davidson, the association’s president, said. "Hopefully, that gets the usage down enough that it is a lot better for our bees."
But talk of restricting neonicotinoids use isn’t welcome by many farm groups, including Grain Farmers of Ontario.
A ban or partial ban would only ignore steps farmers already take to control the pesticide, said Barry Senft, the group's chief executive. Instead, he said, he’d like to see joint research with beekeepers. "The ideal situation would be working closely together on bee health and not just saying that neonicotinoids are the sole issue of bee deaths in Ontario," he said.
Source: chatham daily news
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