A task force has shared its Ontario Pollinator Health blueprint with the Ontario government – which has set a temporary ban on neonicotinoids.
Neonicotinoids are a class of neuro-active insecticides chemically similar to nicotine. According to Wikipedia, in the 1980s Shell, and, in the 1990s, Bayer, started work on their development.
The use of the chemical on seeds has been restricted in the European Union and the Ontario government is considering severe restrictions on their use, starting in 2016. The issue came to the forefront when Ontario bee keepers complained of unusually high deaths in their bee populations. The provincial proposal for restrictions has earned the disagreement from grain grower organizations and grain farmers
The task force worked several months and its proponents say the proposal offers a practical, sustainable alternative to the Ontario government’s proposed seed treatment regulations.
The blueprint was developed by the Pollinator Task Force, a coalition of beekeepers, farmers, and value-chain stakeholders.
“Over the past several months, the task force has consulted over 900 farmers and received numerous presentations from stakeholder groups,” said Mark Brock, chairman of Grain Farmers of Ontario.
“We are confident that our blueprint is workable and delivers the necessary elements for the long-term success of pollinators alongside agriculture.”
The Blueprint identified five areas to enhance the health of pollinators in Ontario: habitat and nutrition, pesticide exposure, diseases and parasites, communication between beekeepers and farmers, and verification and collection protocols for insects.
Within the blueprint, there is a commitment to establish one million acres of self-sustaining pollinator habitat on public and farm properties across the province and to reduce the risk of bee exposure to neonicotinoids as well as reduce the volume of neonicotinoid seed treatment in Ontario.
Brock said, “Over the past three years, Grain Farmers of Ontario has encouraged dialogue and collaboration on this issue – and this is why we felt it was important to complete the work of the pollinator task force. The blueprint was developed through open communication among key stakeholders with the shared goal of a healthy ecosystem, thriving pollinator population, and productive agricultural industry.”
He added, “It is our hope that the work of the pollinator task force will be well received and respected while also demonstrating that, through cooperation, positive relationships and outcomes can be achieved.”
The blueprint is available at www.gfo.ca/ProtectingPollinators.
Grain Farmers of Ontario is the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 corn, soybean and wheat farmers.
