Leaked EPA Memos May Explain Massive Bee Die-Off

by Anne Landman — January 3, 2011 - 4:28pm
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HoneybeeCMD's guest blogger, Jill Richardson, has done some ground-breaking reporting on the potential cause of the massive bee die-off.  According to Jill's investigation, leaked U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) memos reveal that the agency gave conditional approval to pesticides now in wide use, without requiring adequate proof that they are safe to use around honeybees. In the wake of the new information, beekeepers are starting to blame the country's massive die-off of honeybees on the pesticides. A leaked EPA memo dated November 2, 2010, discusses Bayer CropScience's efforts to legalize use of its pesticide clothianidin on mustard seed and cotton crops. EPA gave conditional approval for the chemical in 2003 and let Bayer start selling it, but told the company that they needed to complete further safety testing by a certain deadline to get full approval. The  additional testing was to assure the chemical was safe to use around honeybees. Bayer failed to do the testing for years, and instead sought and received an extension of the conditional permit to use the chemical. When Bayer finally performed the study, they did it in another country, and on crops that aren't grown much in the U.S. Bayer also used bees that were located on a small patch of treated crops surrounded by thousands of acres on untreated crops -- a design that handed Bayer the result it wanted by making the chemical appear safe to use. EPA deemed the defective study acceptable and gave full registration to clothianidin in 2007. In November, 2010, when Bayer asked to extend use of the pesticide to more types of crops, EPA still did not comment on the inadequacy of Bayer's study. Beekeepers are incensed at this information, and along with others are asking why EPA allows pesticides to go onto the market before they have been adequately safety tested. They also wonder how sound the science around such studies can be when they are performed by the pesticide makers themselves.

Main Source: 
Alternet, December 10, 2010

Comments

Honey Bees Decimated by Improperly Tested Bayer Insecticide

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on January 7, 2011 - 4:59am.

This is outrageous. What a huge imposition on taxpayers who have been funding government agencies responding to the bee problems, publising firms, radio and television shows, the listeners and watchers, honey producers & their families and their insurance companies, consumers of honey and media and the international reputation of the United States of America which will be affected for decades. The list goes on.

It is absolutely outrageous that Bayer should be responsible for conducting its own product testing. Of course they must fund the study/testing, but that needs to be conducted by an accredited 3rd party.
It is way past time that we would talk about EPA credibility and the adoption of best practice protocols. Why waste taxpayer funds with ineffectual agencies. This is outrageous.

If one were thinking of suing for bee losses, perhaps the EPA needs to be one of the responsible parties. AND, FINING is simply ineffectual, much too easy and just means if you can afford it, you may break the law. HARD TIME JAIL SENTENCES for upper management are what is required for those who choose to flaunt the laws by which we organize our society.

EPA's ability to regulate is influenced by politics

Submitted by Margaret Hickey (not verified) on August 11, 2011 - 7:12am.

People have a naive belief that the EPA has a constant ability and mandate to oversee and regulate corporate polluters and harmful products, when, in fact, administrations and legislators have the power of the pursestrings to cut funding for regulatory oversight. Under G.W. Bush's White House, EPA studies were regularly censored and wording blacked out by the administration if the findings did not support their political views on CO2, climate change, etc. When administrations undermine the authenticity of EPA studies or fail to fund regulatory abilities, morale sinks and experienced staff members leave, so when we need the proper watchdogs to be there, they may have already been drummed out due to a lack of political support. Republican administrations frequently put someone more pro-business in charge at the EPA, who sets the tone for the organization. And when was Bayer first conducting its improperly constructed tests? I think it's the norm for companies to submit their own tests, just because of the massive number of products out there, but the test parameters do need to undergo educated scrutiny. If the EPA has lost a lot of qualified people or if the political will does not support their taking a tough line on a corporate power, we-the-people, along with the honeybees, are not going to receive the protections deserved. But the voting public will also have to accept some of the blame for making poor political choices. If we want quality oversight and regulation, then we have to push to make sure the EPA has the support and funding to achieve these goals. However,with the current state of the economy, less regulation and dismantling of environmental protections by the GOP have already begun, so we'll need to make our voices heard if we're to have any chance of success.

American Style Capitalism as Modern Day Warfare

Submitted by Gary E Neu (not verified) on January 10, 2011 - 6:14pm.

American Style Capitalism as Modern Day Warfare

Powerful corporations such as Bayer (pesticides) & Monsanto (pesticides & genetically modified seed), and Arthur Daniel Midland (corn) put profits above & before people, the Earth, and Democracy. The largest and most successful corporations run their business as a war, modern day Robber Barons. A primary tool for corporations is to influence “knowledge”&/or “truth”, the cultural, scientific, and governmental beliefs we have in our society. This is because what we believe to be “true” guides our thinking, beliefs, and behavior. This so called ”truth/knowledge” influences our definition of what the problems are and what the solutions are to be.

A primary strategy of corporate warfare is to destroy the power of Democracy which includes the voice of the people and the power of our government. Jill Richardson’s article sheds light on this process and its consequences. By reducing and restricting governmental power, corporations gain greater freedom to pursue profits with disregard to its negative consequences. Less effective governmental corporations than frame as evidence to further reduce governmental power and size.

The EPA, as well as most other department of our Government has been strategically attacked through Corporate America’s influence on our ideological & cultural beliefs. Because of an overwhelming acceptance of Milton Freidman economics as truth and utilizing this belief as justification to rape our world, corporate influence over our government and society has been extremely successful. Through their the funding of antidemocratic think tanks, effective public relations, and lobbying Congress, Corporate America has guided our beliefs and behavior to accept that a smaller less powerful government would be beneficial for us.

Although “some countries, like France, Germany, and Italy, banned or restricted the use of neonicotinoids”, corporate globalization with the help of its co-opted institutions of the World Bank & International Monetary Fund with their antidemocratic economic policies may eventually stop foreign governments from interfering with corporate agendas. There has already been considerable success with Freidman economic policies (Neoliberalism, Neoconservativism, &/or the Chicago School) destroying countries around the world for selfish greed. Remember that in war, including economic war, collateral damage is an acceptable cost to the offense.

Corporate influence on society’s primary institutions, i.e. government, education, judicial, & mass media, help define what our culture & society was, is, & will be. Media mergers have allowed greater control over media messages. The battle over Net Neutrality, WikiLeaks, and the assignation attempt of Congressperson Gabrielle Giffords are all connected by strategic influence over American Democracy & the power of the people vs Corporations.

Anonymous wrote: “It is absolutely outrageous that Bayer should be responsible for conducting its own product testing”, and “we would talk about EPA credibility”. It is a corporate agenda to reduce the effectiveness of governmental agencies and then use this strategically designed reduced effectiveness as evidence and justification to destroy the agency and to justify private-for-profit 3rd party corporations to take the government’s agency’s place. Corporations exist to make money. Governments within Democracies exist for other reasons than profit maximization: to protect the people, the Earth and Democracy from antidemocratic entities, including corporations.

Gary E Neu

Gary E Neu

Submitted by Alan Cameron (not verified) on June 27, 2011 - 3:25am.

Congratulations. A very comprehensive analysis of what is happening to the world. It will get worse unless "true democracy" replaces the corrupt system designed to ensure that politicians get their "PAY- PERKS-PENSION" and increasingly, seats on the boards of the corporations that have so easily corrupted them. Democracy has been dead for decades (if it ever existed in the "developed world'). In my experience (over many years) the "primitive" tribal people of Papua New Guinea and the remote areas of some other so-called third world countries were a lot closer to being democracies than we ever were. Unless the people take back the system of government and set up genuine co-operatives to conduct business that is beyond the small operator, we will see things get worse.

Thank You!

Submitted by Gary Neu (not verified) on June 29, 2011 - 1:38pm.

Yes I agree that many parts of the world have heathier/better democracies than the U.S. Here in the U.S., Democracy it not much more than a brand that is utilized to market ideas/products to benefit corporation & their elite benefactors.

Sadly I beleive that the U.S.'s public & society is no longer capable of reclaiming government. The ongoing socilization/propaganda process has removed the publics ability to challenge corporate america.

Bayer

Submitted by Lynne (not verified) on June 7, 2011 - 10:43am.

Uh, Gary, BAYER is a German company. Very old. They manufactured the insecticide that was used by the Nazis to gas Jews.