>This thread doth digress too much.

Thanks Steve.  Digression indeed.  But the point to me was not to argue,
but to simply ask posters to submit supporting evidence when they make an
accusatory statement.

I found it odd that the article stated that Syngenta had tried to trap Dr.
Hayes into suing them, since such a lawsuit would have forced the discovery
of any such illegal actions.  Didn't make sense that they would do so if
they were indeed guilty.

But Jim has now said that he has confirmed such supporting evidence, so the
accusations appear to be true (although I have yet to find time to search
for those documents myself).

The reason that I found this discussion worth pursuing is that Syngenta is
very much involved in the issue of neonicotinoids and seed treatments.  In
my personal discussions with numerous independent scientists researching
the effects of neonics upon bees, none have mentioned any pressure from
Syngenta.  If this were a common behavior of this company, I'd like to
know, as it would put a different face upon their public statements, and
upon their Operation Pollinator, which appears to be of benefit to bees and
beekeepers.

I fully expect companies who have invested millions of dollars into the
development of products to defend such products vigorously.  But I also
expect them to adhere to certain ethical and legal standards; and if they
engage in activities outside of those standards, that should be brought to
the attention of the public, and legal action should be taken.

I have had the pleasure of meeting a number of scientists who work for one
or another of various ag product companies, and have found them to a person
to be proud of their work, and truly interested in not harming bees.  I
have no such faith in the salespersons or executives of such companies,
since their job descriptions are to sell product, not to protect the
environment.

I am currently on the road, and do not have time to search for supporting
documents of Syngenta misdoing.  However, if anyone on the List can send
such to me, I will follow up to see whether Syngenta reps will respond (for
what it's worth, I have reason to believe that posts on this list are at
least occasionally monitored by Syngenta and other ag companies involved in
bee issues)..  For Steve and others not interested, I will use a subject
line such as "Syngenta's response" so that you can ignore.


-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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