matt, Even while bees die in their millions, Tony Abbott’s government isn’t doing anything. On December 1, the European Union is imposing a two year ban on neonicotinoids, the pesticides manufactured by Bayer that scientists have tied to the the massive global bee die-off. It’s a bold step and not a moment too soon. With up to a third of all honeybees vanishing each winter, beekeepers are saying that we are “on the brink” of losing our crops’ vital pollinators. However, the Australian government agency in charge, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), has been dragging its feet for years. And now under Tony Abbott’s government, we can expect even more concessions to the chemicals industry. We need a pollinator-friendly policy now, to ensure a safe, sustainable environment for future generations. Tell the Abbott government and the APVMA to protect the bees, and enact sensible restrictions on bee-killing pesticides now. It’s not an exaggeration to say we owe our prosperity and even our survival to millions of bees. Bees are responsible for pollinating over 30% of world’s food supply, and they help generate over hundreds of billion in economic activity worldwide. And bees are dying worldwide. This summer, a shocking 37 million bees were reported dead across a single farm in Canada. Bee die offs aren’t one off incidents -- in China, the situation has gotten so bad that farmers are forced to hand-pollinate their trees. SumOfUs.org have been right at the front of the global campaign to save our bees. Over 360,000 of us have already demanded that Bayer drop the lawsuit to stop the two-year neonicotinoid ban in Europe. We also came together to fight them at a huge independent garden store show in Chicago, where Bayer and other pesticide firms were out in force. Tens of thousands from the Australian SumOfUs community also took action to demand that big stores like Bunnings Warehouse to stop selling the bee killing chemicals. Now, we need to ask the APVMA to take action to save the bees. The Abbott government is well known for being friendly to corporations, and you can bet the pesticide manufacturers are shoveling cash at lobbyists in order to continue selling their poisonous products in Australia. But were not here to protect corporate profits, were here to protect our ecosystem to ensure our future. Join in today to protect Australia’s ecosystem. Demand that Australian Pesticide Authority take action on protecting our bees. Thanks for all that you do, Angus, Paul and the rest of us.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 02:55:36 +0000