I said:

>> I'm not saying that anyone should limit the free exchange of
>> scientific ideas, but germplasm and queens are not ideas or
>> information, are they?

...and Allen asked:

> If not that, then exactly what are they?

They are specifically "trade goods" that various countries have clearly
said that they DON'T want from the US.

Any similarity between my observations and the policy of any specific
country is an purely internal issue to be brought up by each specific
country.

You see, there are a small number of people who want to import
bees into the US.  I don't think anyone should have any problem
with that, as long as everyone understands that a system of checks
and balances needs to be put in place to verify at port-of-entry that
only bees are imported, rather than bees, diseases, and pests.

The only rational way to do this is to inspect each and every queen
at port of entry, just like the UK does now.  Sadly, the current WTO
SPS gibberish mumbles on and on about "certification" at point of
shipment by the very person who has the choice to ship, and make
a sale, or refuse to ship, and not make a sale.  (That ticking sound
you may hear is the countdown to the next time someone screws
up and exports or imports yet another beastie that kills bees, which,
under the current WTO rules, is an absolute statistical certainty.)

To block someone's imports just because those imports might be
infested is to throw the baby out with the bathwater. For those
countries that do not see the fuzzy thinking inherent in either:

a) The current WTO "rules" as applied to bees

b) That country's stance in regard to imports of bees

...I expect that it would be very little trouble to find support in Congress
for "strict consistency in biosecurity", and insure that ALL babies are
thrown out with ALL bathwater until further notice.

And now that the "omnibus spending bill" has been passed, Congress
(the House Agriculture Committee would be the usual forum for this)
certainly has the time to write a quick statement to clarify the existing
federal regulations and policies, and insure that there will be no exceptions
to respecting the clearly stated wishes of our trading partners.

After all, the two primary excuses trotted out by World Trade advocates
to explain the spread of bee pests and diseases have been "smuggling"
and "scientific importation", so it looks like we need to do a better job.

Its the least we can do.  :)

So, what part of "No bee imports from the US" is unclear
to the very people who said it?

Mean what you say, say what you mean.
Live with the consequences.

                jim

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
BEE-L subscribers are reminded to read and follow the
guidelines for posting, which are available online at:
http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::