One of the world's biggest pesticide companies, Syngenta, has been
accused of a "howling conflict of interest" for funding research into
the disappearance of honeybees - a problem which some people claim it
may have helped cause.

Syngenta, based in Basel, Switzerland, last year clocked up £7.3
billion worth of sales in more than 90 countries. Among the products
it markets to farmers are insecticides which have been blamed for
harming honeybees.

It now also co-funds a £1m project in the UK, announced last week, to
research the decline of the bees. But the company has dismissed
criticisms of its role in the project as "perverse".

A film due to open in cinemas this week highlights the global plight
of the honeybee and argues that insecticides are partly to blame.
Called Vanishing Of The Bees, it is backed by the Co-operative retail
group, which has a strict policy on the use of pesticides on the fruit
and vegetables it sells, including a total ban on the use of several
chemicals.

According to beekeepers, honeybee populations in the UK crashed by
nearly a third in 2008. The implications are alarming, as bees
contribute £200m a year to the UK economy, pollinating a third of our
food.

Scientists speculate that a combination of factors may be involved,
including disease, mites, weather and modern farming practices. But
some argue that a group of widely-used nicotine-based insecticides
known as neonicotinoids could be inflicting neural damage on bees, and
contributing to their demise. Syngenta sells two products containing
neonicotinoids, Actara and Cruiser.

To protect bee populations, some such insecticides have been banned or
restricted in France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia. But they can still
be used in other countries, including the UK and the United States.

A coalition of environmental groups has launched a campaign for a ban
on neonicotinoids in the UK. The group includes the Soil Association,
which certifies organic food.

Its Scottish director, Hugh Raven, said Syngenta had made its position
clear by opposing a ban on neonicotinoids.

"The taint of commercial interest has undermined this research before
it's even started," he said.

......
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/10/04-1

-- 
Juanse Barros J.
APIZUR S.A.
Carrera 695
Gorbea - CHILE
+56-45-271693
08-3613310
http://apiaraucania.blogspot.com/
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