House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee Pollinators and Pesticides Seventh Report of Session 2012–13 Volume II Additional written evidence Ordered by the House of Commons to be published 25 March 2013 Published on 5 April 2013 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited Environmental Audit Committee The Environmental Audit Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to consider to what extent the policies and programmes of government departments and non-departmental public bodies contribute to environmental protection and sustainable development; to audit their performance against such targets as may be set for them by Her Majesty’s Ministers; and to report thereon to the House. Current membership Joan Walley MP (Labour, Stoke-on-Trent North) (Chair) Peter Aldous MP (Conservative, Waveney) Richard Benyon MP (Conservative, Newbury) [ex-officio] Neil Carmichael MP (Conservative, Stroud) Martin Caton MP (Labour, Gower) Katy Clark MP (Labour, North Ayrshire and Arran) Chris Evans MP (Labour/Co-operative, Islwyn) Zac Goldsmith MP (Conservative, Richmond Park) Mark Lazarowicz MP (Labour/Co-operative, Edinburgh North and Leith) Caroline Lucas MP (Green, Brighton Pavilion) Caroline Nokes MP (Conservative, Romsey and Southampton North) Dr Matthew Offord MP (Conservative, Hendon) Mr Mark Spencer MP (Conservative, Sherwood) Paul Uppal MP (Conservative, Wolverhampton South West) Dr Alan Whitehead MP (Labour, Southampton, Test) Simon Wright MP (Liberal Democrat, Norwich South) The following members were also members of the committee during the parliament: Ian Murray MP (Labour, Edinburgh South) Sheryll Murray MP (Conservative, South East Cornwall) Powers The constitution and powers are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152A. These are available on the internet via www.parliament.uk. Publications The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the internet at www.parliament.uk/eacom. A list of Reports of the Committee in the present Parliament is at the back of this volume. The Reports of the Committee, the formal minutes relating to that report, oral evidence taken and some or all written evidence are available in a printed volume. Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are Simon Fiander (Clerk), Nicholas Beech (Second Clerk), Lee Nicholson (Committee Specialist), Andrew Wallace (Senior Committee Assistant), Anna Browning (Committee Assistant), Yago Zayed (Committee Support Assistant) and Nicholas Davies (Media Officer). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Environmental Audit Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 6150; the Committee’s email address is [email protected] List of additional written evidence (published in Volume II on the Committee’s website www.parliament.uk/eacom) 1 Brighton and Lewes Beekeepers Ev w1 2 William Summers Ev w1 3 Rosemary Mason and Palle Uhd Jepsen Ev w2 4 Bee the Change Ev w23 5 Dr Robert Paxton Ev w25 6 Friends of the Earth Ev w27 7 The Co-operative Ev w30 8 Sussex Beekeepers Association Ev w33 9 Scottish Wildlife Trust Ev w34 10 Bedfordshire Beekeepers Association Ev w38 11 John Hoar Ev w40, Ev w66 12 The Wildlife Trusts Ev w42 13 Crop Protection Association Ev w47 14 Research Councils UK Ev w49 15 Amanda Williams Ev w53 16 Paul Matthews Ev w60 17 Nomenclature Committee of the International Union of Pharmacologists Ev w66 18 Orchid Apiaries Ev w67 19 Graham White, Friends of the Bees Ev w68, Ev w74 20 Dr Pierre Mineau, Emeritus senior scientist in pesticide ecotoxology, Environment, Canada Ev w70 21 National Institute of Agricultural Botany Ev w71 22 CCC Independent Agronomy Services Ev w73 cobber Pack: U PL: COE1 [SO] Processed: [03-04-2013 15:18] Job: 025753 Unit: PG01 Source: /MILES/PKU/INPUT/025753/025753_w024_michelle_BEE 44 G White - Friends of the Bees.xml Environmental Audit Committee: Evidence Ev w1 Written evidence Written evidence submitted by Brighton and Lewes Beekeepers The Committee of the Brighton and Lewes Beekeepers commend and support the decision to look into the issue of insecticides and honeybees. 1. The Committee of the Brighton and Lewes Division of the Sussex Beekeepers Association commend the decision to look into the issue of insecticides, in particular the group neonicotinoids, and their potential effects on honeybees and other pollinators. 2. As beekeepers we, and the members we represent, are concerned with increasing mortality rates of our bee colonies. 3. There are many scientific papers in the public domain which implicate systemic insecticides, specifically the neonicotinoids: Imidacloprid, Clothianidin and the carcinogenic phenylpyrazole: Fipronil, in the deaths of bees. 4. There is increasing evidence that these insecticides impair the bees’ immune system rendering them more susceptible to other parasites and diseases, specifically Nosema. Synergistic action between insecticides and other pesticides and chemicals can also be lethal and need investigation. 5. We are also concerned that the initial short term toxicity testing required for licence is inadequate and has not detected chronic and sub lethal effects on pollinators, and worry that the testing may be inadequate for the safety of human beings as well. 6. We are concerned that the multinational chemical companies may be having undue influence in the granting of licences and the continued availability of their products in spite of widespread public concern. 7. The refusal to accept peer-reviewed scientific evidence by Syngenta and Bayer reinforces this view. 8. The failure of Defra to put a precautionary ban on these products, in spite of such bans being applied to certain uses of these chemicals in a number of European countries; France, Germany Italy, Slovenia, causes us to lose confidence in the British Government, and question who is the beneficiary of this inaction as it certainly is not the public, the environment, bees or beekeepers. 25 October 2012 Written evidence submitted by William Summers Honeybee pollination services raise farmers profits. Any deleterious effects on honeybees caused by systemic seed dressings is an unintended consequence. Farmers should support a strategy to not kill bees if universally applied. They see no point or purpose in using undressed seed if other farmers do use it, killing or damaging bees. Only the law can ensure this by “restraint for mutual benefit”. The way forward is to investigate with the farming industry a strategy of not using systemic neonicotinoid seed dressings and sprays on rape seed, field beans and other (bee pollinated) flowering crops. Farmers once relied on contact non-systemic insecticides and can do so again, but not between sunrise and sunset. To preserve pollinating insects is collective, enlightened self interest, but goverment must first lead with a law banning neonicotinoid use in any form on flowering crops. There would be no losers, not even the chemical manufacturing companies who would sell more, less dangerous insecticides and be better targeted. Using contact sprays only between sunset and dawn for crops in flower is not an unreasonable request given that nights are already worked fetching in the harvest. Why not to save the bees without which there would barely be a harvest as in 2012 when bees were unable to forage and pollinate? There is a time in the affairs of men which taken at the flood lead on to fortune—so let this be done now— or we shall lose the tide. 29 October 2012 cobber Pack: U PL: COE1 [E] Processed: [03-04-2013 15:18] Job: 025753 Unit: PG01 Source: /MILES/PKU/INPUT/025753/025753_w024_michelle_BEE 44 G White - Friends of the Bees.xml Ev w2 Environmental Audit Committee: Evidence Written evidence submitted by Rosemary Mason and Palle Uhd Jepsen Rosemary Mason, MB ChB FRCA, Former Consultant Anaesthetist 1. Assistant Editor, Anaesthesia, Journal of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland from 1990–2000. 2. Familiarity with the actions of drugs and toxins on central nervous system receptors. 3. Noted that successive Governments had dismantled the Statutory Conservation Bodies, closed the Wildlife Research Stations and abolished pesticide committees that had one (or more) independent members to represent public interest. Palle Uhd Jepsen, Former Senior Adviser to the Danish Forest and Nature Agency 1. In charge of Nature Reserve Network in Denmark. 2. Represented Denmark at Wildlife Conventions such as IWC, Ramsar Convention, Chairman of Seal Group for ASCOBANS (Small cetaceans in the Baltic). 3. Gave advice on conservation projects such as in Thailand, Malaysia, Estonia, Lithuania and Northern Ireland. 4. Worked for several seasons at the Polar Research Institute in Svalbard. Together 1. As environmentalists we have seen the disappearance of wildlife in the last 50 years. Acceleration of this has occurred in the last 15 years. In particular, amphibian, bees, bat and bird populations in the US have been wiped out by a variety of pathogens. Since about 2008 the same has been happening in Europe. News has been suppressed. 2. In 2006, we established a small reserve for bumblebees and birds in South Wales. 3. In 2008, I read Michael Schacker’s book about neonicotinoids in the US. “A Spring without Bees. How Colony Collapse Disorder has Endangered our Food Supply.” 4. In November 2010, we read Dr Henk Tennekes’ book: The Systemic Insecticides—a Disaster in the making. We linked up with him and a massive global network. We started to “engage” with Environmental Protection Agencies around the world. 5. We discovered that it wasn’t just bees that were affected. It was humans as well. Executive Summary We have divided the evidence into three parts. 1. Our communications with Defra, ACP, CRD and Ministers since 03 December 2010. 2. Our comments on the Defra website on “Neonicotinoids and Bees”.