UK Official Says Pesticides Not a Threat to Honey Bees

Government Rejects Calls to Ban Neonicotinoids
By Mary Clarke, Glee Birmingham (UK), 4/7/2009

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Hilary Benn has rejected calls by the Soil Association to ban the use of Neonicotinoids, a type of insecticide that it claims kills honey bees.

The insecticide has been withdrawn from use and sale in France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia and the Soil Association is campaigning for the British Government to take the same action to stem the decline in honey bee populations…

Soil Association policy director Peter Melchett said: "While new funding and new research are welcome, it will not help if the Government ignores existing scientific evidence that has led other countries to ban chemicals known to kill bees.

"The Government prefers to blame ‘very wet weather’ and poor management by ‘less experienced beekeepers’ than to face their own responsibility to control bee-killing chemicals that have been used on up to 1.5 million acres of farmland in the UK."…