Save the bees
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.
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees_keep_the_ban_national/?bTZnMab&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 the European 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/?bTZnMab&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.
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/