{"id":13177,"date":"2014-04-30T00:53:56","date_gmt":"2014-04-30T04:53:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=13177"},"modified":"2014-04-30T09:57:44","modified_gmt":"2014-04-30T13:57:44","slug":"industry-campaign-and-congressional-hearing-mislead-on-bee-decline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2014\/04\/industry-campaign-and-congressional-hearing-mislead-on-bee-decline\/","title":{"rendered":"Industry Campaign and Congressional Hearing Mislead on Bee Decline"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>(<em>Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, April 30, 2014) A new report, released this week by author \u00a0Michele Simon \u00a0and Friends of the Earth \u00a0documents the tactics used by Bayer and other pesticide companies to delay regulatory action on neonicotinoid pesticides \u2014a key contributor to bee declines. The report identifies public relations tactics reminiscent of those used by the tobacco industry, is now being used by Bayer, Syngenta, and Monsanto. Meanwhile, a Congressional hearing on pollinator health, with a panel dominated by industry, ignored the risks pesticides pose to pollinators, and failed to address sustainable solutions to bee decline.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/FollowTheHoneyReport.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-13181 \" style=\"float: right; margin: 5px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/FollowTheHoneyReport.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"215\" height=\"278\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The report, \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/libcloud.s3.amazonaws.com\/93\/f0\/f\/4656\/FollowTheHoneyReport.pdf\">Follow the Honey: 7 Ways Pesticide Companies Are Spinning the Bee Crisis to Protect Profits<\/a>, \u00a0uncovers the deceptive public relations tactics used by industry giants Bayer, Syngenta and Monsanto, to deflect blame from their products\u2019 contributions to bee declines. The products in question are the chemicals now widely used for seed treatment \u00a0\u2014neonicotinoids\u2014 as well as on residential sites. They are highly toxic to bees and have been linked to bee decline. Last year, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=10368\">European Union banned <\/a>the three most widely used neonicotinoids \u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/gateway\/index.php?pname=imidacloprid.htm\">imidacloprid<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/gateway\/index.php?pesticideid=121\">clothianidin<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/gateway\/index.php?pesticideid=289\">thiamethoxam<\/a>\u2014 based on strong science indicating these insecticides can kill bees outright and make them more vulnerable to pests, pathogens and other stressors. However, these pesticides are still widely used in the U.S., despite massive bee losses that threaten vital food crops, from almonds in California to apples in Washington.<\/p>\n<p>A Congressional hearing yesterday on Capitol Hill, convened on pollinator health, reinforced the report\u2019s findings as no mention of pesticide risks were discussed by the industry dominated panel. The hearing for the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture, Research, Biotechnology and Foreign Agriculture included no independent scientists on the leading edge of bee research, and no beekeepers who are experiencing firsthand dire losses of bees responsible for pollinating many of our food crops. The hearing is being viewed as just another tactic to marginalize the role of pesticides, the beekeeping industry most impacted by bee losses, and the <a href=\"http:\/\/action.beyondpesticides.org\/p\/dia\/action3\/common\/public\/?action_KEY=14785\"><em>Saving America\u2019s Pollinators Act<\/em><\/a>&#8211; a bill that would suspend the use of four of the most toxic neonicotinoid chemicals until the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducts a full review of their safety and can make an informed and scientifically-sound decision about their use.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese pesticide companies use PR tricks straight out of Big Tobacco\u2019s playbook to manufacture doubt about science and fool politicians and the public to delay action, while they keep profiting from bee-killing pesticides,\u201d said \u00a0Ms.Simon, \u00a0a public health attorney who tracks corporate tactics.<\/p>\n<p>PR tactics revealed in the new report include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Spinning the Science and \u201cManufacturing Doubt\u201d about the role of pesticides: \u00a0Aggressive efforts to promote the varroa mite and other factors as the leading causes of bee deaths while downplaying or dismissing the role of pesticides. What they don\u2019t say: neonicotinoid pesticides are a key compounding factor that makes bees more vulnerable to the varroa mite and other pests and pathogens.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cBee Care\u201d PR Blitz: \u00a0PR campaigns to create the appearance of being \u201cout in front\u201d and taking a lead role in \u201csaving bees\u201d by promoting \u201cbee health,\u201d building \u201cBee Care Centers\u201d and launching a \u201cBee Care Tour\u201d while downplaying the role of pesticides in bee deaths.<\/li>\n<li>Buying Credibility: \u00a0Funding scientific studies, cultivating alliances and strategic partnerships with farmers, beekeepers, and agricultural organizations in order to buy credibility for their \u201canything but pesticides\u201d talking points and position themselves as \u201cfriends of the bees.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Blaming Farmers and Beekeepers: \u00a0While denying criticism of pesticides, blaming farmers who use pesticides for any \u201crare\u201d negative effects on bees, and blaming beekeepers for poor bee care.<\/li>\n<li>Targeting Children: \u00a0Propaganda to win young hearts and minds, such as Bayer\u2019s children\u2019s book entitled \u201cToby and the Bees\u201d in which a friendly beekeeper tells young Toby the bees are getting sick, but &#8220;not to worry,&#8221; it&#8217;s just a problem with mites, and there is special medicine (made by Bayer) to make bees healthy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Neonicotinoid residues pose a major risk to bees from \u00a0fugitive dust off seed planters, which EPA has recognized as a causing several bee kills nationwide. These chemicals are particularly dangerous because, in addition to being highly acutely toxic, their use also results in serious sublethal effects when insects are exposed to chronic low doses, as they are through pollen, nectar, and water droplets contaminated with the chemicals, in addition to \u00a0dust that is released into the air when treated seeds are planted with seed planters across millions of acres of corn fields in the U.S. Neonicotinoids are also systemic pesticides, meaning residues remain in plants, soil and water for very long periods of time. This causes significant problems for the long-term health of individual honey bees, as well as the overall health of honey bee colonies. Effects observed in exposed bees include disruptions in mobility and navigation, feeding behavior, foraging activity, memory and learning, suppressed immune function, and overall decreased hive activity.<\/p>\n<p>Despite a growing body of evidence (read: <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/pollinators\/nolongeraBIGmystery.pdf\">No Longer a Big Mystery<\/a>) showing acute, sublethal, and chronic effects of neonicotinoid pesticides in bees, industry giants like Syngenta and Bayer continue to ignore the impact of their products and instead focus on beekeeper practices, nutrition, and viruses and pathogens as the main culprits of bee decline. In fact, both Bayer and Syngenta are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=11739\">challenging the EU\u2019s suspension<\/a> of their chemicals, claiming the European Commission made its \u00a0decision on the basis of a flawed process. Beekeepers have protested <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=10260\">across Europe<\/a> and also here in the U.S., calling for a moratorium on bee-killing pesticides. Several beekeepers are co-plaintiffs in a 2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=10038\">lawsuit challenging EPA\u2019s <\/a>failure to protect pollinators. This lawsuit seeks suspension of the registrations of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/gateway\/index.php?pname=clothianidin.php\">clothianidin<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/gateway\/index.php?chemfind=thiamethoxam\">thiamethoxam<\/a>, which have repeatedly been identified as highly toxic to honey bees and clear contributors to ongoing mortality of bees. \u00a0The suit challenges EPA\u2019s oversight of these pesticides, as well as EPA\u2019s registration process and labeling deficiencies.<\/p>\n<p>With bee-kill incidents in Oregon last summer, including one that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=10944\">killed more than 50,000 bumblebees<\/a>, and the bee deaths in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/2014\/04\/19\/6338235\/beekeepers-search-for-answers.html\">California\u2019s almond<\/a> groves, and \u201d\u02dcmysterious\u2019 road-side bee deaths in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2014\/04\/23\/usa-oregon-bees-idUSL2N0NF1XB20140423\">Oregon<\/a>, as well as astronomical overwintering losses in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailyjournal.net\/view\/story\/4658cdb99b044a8ca0f35175c3597440\/OH--Bee-Shortage-Ohio\/#.U1lBDldDDHp\">Ohio<\/a>, bees continue to face challenges. In spite of recent efforts in Europe to help reverse bee decline by suspending the use of three widely neonicotinoids, U.S. officials have yet to move definitely on the issue. EPA recognizing that these chemicals can pose risks to bees published revised product labels stipulating users not to apply when bees are near. These labels, according to advocates and beekeepers, do not go far enough to protect bees from these chemicals.<\/p>\n<p><strong>BEE Protective<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Beyond Pesticides and Center for Food Safety \u00a0have joined forces with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/pollinators\/index.php\">BEE Protective Campaign<\/a><strong>, <\/strong>with the goal of \u00a0protecting honey bees and other pollinators from pesticides. The BEE Protective Campaign gives you the tools to help honey bees and other pollinators right in your own community. Here are some ways to take action:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Plant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/pollinators\/documents\/BEEProtectiveHabitatGuide.pdf\">bee friendly habitat<\/a> in your own backyard<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/action.beyondpesticides.org\/o\/7106\/p\/salsa\/web\/common\/public\/signup?signup_page_KEY=7574\">Pledge<\/a> \u00a0 to maintain your yard, park, garden or other green space as organic and pollinator friendly.<\/li>\n<li>Join us<a href=\"http:\/\/action.beyondpesticides.org\/p\/dia\/action3\/common\/public\/?action_KEY=15118\"> \u00a0in asking Lowe\u2019s and Home Depot \u00a0<\/a>and other leading garden centers to take action and stop the sale of neonicotinoids and plants treated with these chemicals.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/action.beyondpesticides.org\/p\/dia\/action3\/common\/public\/?action_KEY=14785\">Tell your member of Congress \u00a0<\/a>to support the \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/org.credoaction.com\/petitions\/tell-congress-stop-the-pesticide-that-is-killing-bees?akid=8432.2368847.I5PAL3&amp;rd=1&amp;t=2\"><em>Save America\u2019s Pollinators Act.  \u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Learn more about the science behind bee declines in <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/pollinators\/nolongeraBIGmystery.pdf\">No Longer a BIG Mystery<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Use our \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/pollinators\/documents\/Pollinator_Resolution2013.pdf\">model resolution<\/a> \u00a0to transform your community and raise awareness about pollinator health.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.foe.org\/news\/news-releases\/2014-04-pesticide-pushers-spin-the-bee-crisis-to-protect-protect-profits\">Friends of the Earth <\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Beyond Pesticides, April 30, 2014) A new report, released this week by author \u00a0Michele Simon \u00a0and Friends of the Earth \u00a0documents the tactics used by Bayer and other pesticide companies to delay regulatory action on neonicotinoid pesticides \u2014a key contributor to bee declines. The report identifies public relations tactics reminiscent of those used by the tobacco industry, is now being used by Bayer, Syngenta, and Monsanto. Meanwhile, a Congressional hearing on pollinator health, with a panel dominated by industry, ignored the risks pesticides pose to pollinators, and failed to address sustainable solutions to bee decline. The report, \u00a0Follow the Honey: 7 Ways Pesticide Companies Are Spinning the Bee Crisis to Protect Profits, \u00a0uncovers the deceptive public relations tactics used by industry giants Bayer, Syngenta and Monsanto, to deflect blame from their products\u2019 contributions to bee declines. The products in question are the chemicals now widely used for seed treatment \u00a0\u2014neonicotinoids\u2014 as well as on residential sites. They are highly toxic to bees and have been linked to bee decline. Last year, the European Union banned the three most widely used neonicotinoids \u2014imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam\u2014 based on strong science indicating these insecticides can kill bees outright and make them more [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[249,158,21,25,68,9,328,93,166,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-agriculture","category-bayer","category-chemicals","category-corporations","category-monsanto","category-national-politics","category-neonicotinoids","category-pollinators","category-syngenta","category-wildlifeenvironment"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Industry Campaign and Congressional Hearing Mislead on Bee Decline  - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2014\/04\/industry-campaign-and-congressional-hearing-mislead-on-bee-decline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Industry Campaign and Congressional Hearing Mislead on Bee Decline  - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"(Beyond Pesticides, April 30, 2014) A new report, released this week by author \u00a0Michele Simon \u00a0and Friends of the Earth \u00a0documents the tactics used by Bayer and other pesticide companies to delay regulatory action on neonicotinoid pesticides \u2014a key contributor to bee declines. The report identifies public relations tactics reminiscent of those used by the tobacco industry, is now being used by Bayer, Syngenta, and Monsanto. Meanwhile, a Congressional hearing on pollinator health, with a panel dominated by industry, ignored the risks pesticides pose to pollinators, and failed to address sustainable solutions to bee decline. The report, \u00a0Follow the Honey: 7 Ways Pesticide Companies Are Spinning the Bee Crisis to Protect Profits, \u00a0uncovers the deceptive public relations tactics used by industry giants Bayer, Syngenta and Monsanto, to deflect blame from their products\u2019 contributions to bee declines. The products in question are the chemicals now widely used for seed treatment \u00a0\u2014neonicotinoids\u2014 as well as on residential sites. They are highly toxic to bees and have been linked to bee decline. Last year, the European Union banned the three most widely used neonicotinoids \u2014imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam\u2014 based on strong science indicating these insecticides can kill bees outright and make them more [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2014\/04\/industry-campaign-and-congressional-hearing-mislead-on-bee-decline\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beyondpesticides\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beyondpesticides\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-04-30T04:53:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-04-30T13:57:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/FollowTheHoneyReport.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Beyond Pesticides\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ByondPesticides\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ByondPesticides\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Beyond Pesticides\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2014\/04\/industry-campaign-and-congressional-hearing-mislead-on-bee-decline\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2014\/04\/industry-campaign-and-congressional-hearing-mislead-on-bee-decline\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Beyond Pesticides\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/#\/schema\/person\/1b5c0a0981b549cc5b628770073031f4\"},\"headline\":\"Industry Campaign and Congressional Hearing Mislead on Bee Decline\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-04-30T04:53:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-04-30T13:57:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2014\/04\/industry-campaign-and-congressional-hearing-mislead-on-bee-decline\/\"},\"wordCount\":1281,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2014\/04\/industry-campaign-and-congressional-hearing-mislead-on-bee-decline\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/FollowTheHoneyReport.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Agriculture\",\"Bayer\",\"Chemicals\",\"Corporations\",\"Monsanto\",\"National Politics\",\"neonicotinoids\",\"Pollinators\",\"Syngenta\",\"Wildlife\/Endangered Sp.\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2014\/04\/industry-campaign-and-congressional-hearing-mislead-on-bee-decline\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2014\/04\/industry-campaign-and-congressional-hearing-mislead-on-bee-decline\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2014\/04\/industry-campaign-and-congressional-hearing-mislead-on-bee-decline\/\",\"name\":\"Industry Campaign and Congressional Hearing Mislead on Bee Decline - 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By forging ties with governments, nonprofits, and people who rely on these natural resources, we reduce the need for unnecessary pesticide use and protect public health and the environment. Beyond Pesticides provides hands-on services to the public and supports local action by: identifying and interpreting hazards; and, designing safe pest management programs. With the information provided by Beyond Pesticides, people may not only be able to make informed choices and adopt practices that protect themselves and their families from unnecessary exposure to pesticides, but they will be able to effect changes on community-wide pest management decisions and policies that govern pesticide use, such as pesticide uses in parks, schools, for community insect control and along roadsides. 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The report identifies public relations tactics reminiscent of those used by the tobacco industry, is now being used by Bayer, Syngenta, and Monsanto. Meanwhile, a Congressional hearing on pollinator health, with a panel dominated by industry, ignored the risks pesticides pose to pollinators, and failed to address sustainable solutions to bee decline. The report, \u00a0Follow the Honey: 7 Ways Pesticide Companies Are Spinning the Bee Crisis to Protect Profits, \u00a0uncovers the deceptive public relations tactics used by industry giants Bayer, Syngenta and Monsanto, to deflect blame from their products\u2019 contributions to bee declines. The products in question are the chemicals now widely used for seed treatment \u00a0\u2014neonicotinoids\u2014 as well as on residential sites. They are highly toxic to bees and have been linked to bee decline. 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