Want proof that our representatives are likely taking handouts from Syngenta, Bayer, and other Big Ag makers of bee and butterfly killing neonicotinoids? Elected representative Rodney Davis of Illinois, who also happens to be the bee health committee chairman appointed to study pesticide and herbicide connections to colony collapse disorder, is singing the praises of neonicotinoids (neonics).
Davis claims that the bee-killing neonics have nothing to do with the recent findings of numerous other scientific studies showing that the pesticide class is likely killing off pollinators. He says that it is the Varroa mite which is to blame, not Syngenta, Bayer, Dow, Monsanto and other toxic chemical makers.
According to Rodney Davis, chairman of the biotechnology, horticulture and research committee:
“[Neonics] are highly effective and have seen a very rapid adoption rate among producers because of the significant benefits they offer. It is frustrating that efforts to innovate and employ new, proven technologies to enhance our ability to produce food, feed and fiber are constantly under attack.”
This ‘proven’ technology is not proven at all. Like many of the other claims about these biotech chemicals – later proven to be untrue – the claims that neonics are ‘safe’ are ridiculous. Neonicotinoids are absorbed into plant tissue and are often present in pollen and nectar, making them toxic to pollinators as well as human beings who consume them.