There’s a new f-word in town, but far from corrupting the children, this one threatens to wreak havoc on our already embattled bee population.
The word is flupyradifurone, a pesticide which targets the nervous system of insects, and the Conservation Council of New Brunswick is joining groups such as the David Suzuki Foundation to rally Canadians and keep it from entering the market.
Health Canada says the chemical may pose a risk to bees, birds, worms, spiders, small mammals and aquatic bugs – similar impacts reported by the use of the closely-related pesticide neonicotinoid, which is banned in Europe and slogging its way through a review here in Canada.
Despite these risks, federal regulators are poised to approve the use of flupyradifurone. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency is taking public comments on the move until Nov. 3, 2014.
Poisons such as neonicotinoids and the ‘f-word’ are considered systemic pesticides; they move through plant tissues into pollen, fruits and seeds, lingering in the environment and building up over time. The Suzuki Foundation says dust from corn seed that was treated with neonics has been implicated in large-scale bee die-offs during planting seasons in Ontario and Quebec.
Considering the painfully slow pace of Health Canada’s review of neonics, we’ve decided it’s better to just make sure the ‘f-word’ never makes it on the market in the first place.
Join the more than 10,000 Canadians who have already spoken out by signing this electronic petition before Nov. 3, 2014. It’s time to send federal regulators a clear message that we’re done ‘effing’ with systemic pesticides.