Most of you know how passionate I am about Gardening and doing so without pesticides or herbicides. Progress of my garden and allotment can be found HERE.
So it was with great dismay I learnt of the decision of our British Government to allow certain banned pesticides to be used on farms here in the UK.
Please Sign the Petition here Thank you.
The following article is from Avaaz,
“Dear friends,
The government has just allowed bee-killing pesticides to be unleashed across Britain’s farms, threatening the butterflies and bugs we rely on to grow our food.
Scientists’ warnings got these pesticides banned across the European Union,but the government has caved in to the powerful pesticide industry and the National Farmers Union to let them be used here again. It’s up to us to stop this madness — if we continue to poison our pollinators, the hedgerows, fields and fruit trees of this country will end up silent.
Overturning a decision like this is going to take an unprecedented number of us speaking up. But we can do it: nearly 3% of British internet users are getting this email. If each of us signs and gets just one friend to sign we can reach 6%, if each of us gets two people, we can reach 9%, etc etc. Sharing the petition online could have the ripple effect we need — click to sign now and share on Facebook, Twitter, email, everywhere:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees_keep_the_ban_national/?blGazab&v=62464
While the rest of Europe has backed a ban and seen their bee numbers are continuing to recover, the farming lobby in Britain has always preferred an industrialised chemical-powered approach to agriculture and with an attitude which says “as long as the yields are good, to hell with the consequences!”
It’s true that some reports show that neonicotinoids can deliver a short-term improvement on harvests, yet if we carry on using these pesticides the wider impact on critical pollinators will be catastrophic. Last Parliament, we saw how frustrated the government can get when presented with evidence-based science, doing all it could to block Europe bee-saving moratorium for pesticide use. Now it wants to go it alone across our green and pleasant lands.
But we know they are nervous — gagging scientists from speaking out and burying notes from previous meetings. We have also seen how u-turns are possible, with the fox hunting vote killed off — but that was only possible because a petition went completely viral with thousands of people sharing with their friends and family. Let’s do it this time for the bees. Sign the petition and share it now everywhere you can think:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees_keep_the_ban_national/?blGazab&v=62464
Two years ago, Avaaz members across Europe came together to introduce the first continent wide-ban on neonicotinoids. Let’s do it again and get rid of these crazy poisons in the UK once and for all.
With hope and determination,
Sam, Nick, Luis, Antonia, Lisa and the whole Avaaz team
More information:
Pesticide experts silenced by UK Government as it looks to bring back bee-killing neonicotinoids (The Independent)
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/pesticide-experts-silenced-by-uk-government-as-it-looks-to-bring-back-beekilling-neonicotinoids-10397707.html
UK government gags advisers in bees and pesticides row (The Guardian)
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/17/government-gags-pesticide-advisers-refusal-support-bee-harming-neonicotinoids
NFU attempt to dodge pesticides ban: Bee Coalition reaction
https://www.buglife.org.uk/tags/bee-coalition
Independent research supporting the continued ban
http://www.tfsp.info/resources/
Avaaz.org is a 41-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape global decision-making. (“Avaaz” means “voice” or “song” in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz’s biggest campaignshere, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter. “
I hope dear Friends you too will add to the already 75,000 signatures to add your protests to help save the insect world, not to mention the affects on health.
Many thanks..
Sue
Please share..
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees_keep_the_ban_national/?clGazab