An object lesson for beekeeping association boards concerning Newton's 3rd
Law and/or Karma.
TL;DR:  One expects groups to lobby and politic, but openly recruiting lead
plaintiffs for a class-action lawsuit is beyond the pale.

Back in Sept 2014, a class action suit was filed by Ontario beekeeping
operations against Bayer and Syngenta:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/canadian-beekeepers-sue-bayer-and-syngenta
-over-neonicotinoid-pesticides-1.2754441
http://tinyurl.com/q4z35pp

"The Ontario Beekeepers Association is not directly involved in the lawsuit,
but along with the Sierra Club Canada Foundation, helped connect beekeepers
with the law firm. The association also helped with the research for the
lawsuit."

In June 2015, Ontario approved new regulations concerning seed treatments:
http://www.realagriculture.com/2015/06/here-comes-the-red-tape-ontario-rolls
-out-final-regulation-on-accessing-neonic-treated-soy-and-corn-seed/
http://tinyurl.com/pngvr43

The Grain Farmer's Association of Ontario then decided that with all these
regulations to protect bees from the seed treatments, and the pending
lawsuit, maybe more than a handshake agreement was needed concerning hives
placed on the land of the grain farmers, some who might be forced by the new
regs to go back to spraying rather than using systemic seed treatments.  

After all, any beekeeper might join the class-action suit, and the pesticide
companies are certain to attempt to lay some amount of blame on the farmers
doing the planting and irrigation of the seeds, so who is to say if the
farmers might be joined as defendants in the class-action?

http://www.realagriculture.com/2015/06/grain-farmers-urged-to-seek-signed-ag
reements-with-beekeepers-in-effort-to-reduce-liability/
http://tinyurl.com/ppra5pc

"Grain farmers and knowledgeable beekeepers have expressed concern that such
applications may be more harmful to bees than the seed based treatment that
has been banned. It is important that this risk be communicated to and
understood and accepted by beekeepers before they are allowed to place their
hives on a grain farmer's property. This will necessitate some form of
written documentation whereby the beekeeper accepts all risks to the hive
and bees placed on a grain farmer's property and releases the grain farmer
from any liability."

The Ontario Beekeepers Association, who actively recruited plaintiffs for
the lawsuit, now furiously backpedals, attempting to claim that they had
nothing to do with the lawsuit and the new regulations aimed directly at
grain farmers:

http://www.ontariobee.com/inside-oba/news-and-updates/oba-bulletin-what-to-d
o-if-you-are-asked-to-sign-a-waiver-of-liability-by-a-farmer

"The current class action suit is not an OBA action and it does not involve
farmers. The class action has only been filed against the manufacturers of
neonicotinoids, Bayer and Syngenta on the basis that they knew or ought to
have known that neonicotinoid are highly toxic to bees. Farmers are not
exposed to this action at all."

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