Market Farming

[Etienne Goyer <etienne.goyer AT outlands.ca>]

On 11-01-21 11:29 AM, Wyatt Jones wrote:
> Geez one doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to know that there is
> something seriously wrong with allowing this product on the market and
> saying there is no definitive proof that its killing bees is NO
> defense.   If its not killing bees let BAYER PROVE it, its their
> responsibility, not OURS and from what I've seen they haven't even tried
> to do that.

Perhaps I am naive, but that's pretty much how I feel myself: the onus
should be on the manufacturer of a pesticide to prove it is harmless,
not on the scientific community to prove it is harmful.  When in doubt,
the pesticide should be banned temporarily until proven innocuous (at
the expense of the manufacturer, of course).

Richard's point that neonicotinoids might be a lesser evil is, indeed,
something to consider though.  That being said (and again, perhaps I am
naive), considering neonicotinoid are a broad-spectrum non-selective
insecticide, shouldn't their use be restricted to dire situation in the
first place?  I know that is not how conventional agriculture works, but
there lie the problem: we let people use pesticide that has the
potential to seriously upset the ecosystem, on a large scale, without
requiring that they do due diligence beforehand.