Bees, bees, bees, bees, bees, bees, bees

[BrideXIII]

Those Downing Street petitions are a waste of time. All you get is some standard fob-off reply, which is sent to every email address registered in the petition.

There was a news-article (or was it on Countryfile??) on this the other week, with farmers arguing against it, saying that the cost of fruit and veg would more than double and those on lower incomes couldn't afford that. I wonder, then, if the NFU has looked at how the ban was introduced in other EU countries and what replacements were used?

no offence to farmers, but they always claim the same thing, if they didn't keep tying themselves into these contracts with supermarkets, maybe they could get more for their produce, after all, when we by a BOGOF its not the farmers that get the benefit, the loss gets passed on to them.

[SlugLobber]

Completely agree, Bride. That's why I think they should look at the countries who HAVE banned these substances, as there hasn't been any uproar from the consumers or farmers there.

Have completed so many of those online petitions, so sorry if I sounded a bit negative. I didn't actually mean do nothing!

[BrideXIII]

well i haven't seen the original article, but perhaps if Phattaff can post a link to it, we can see what if anything is being done, and where to direct any energies to.

[Phattaff]

Cheers Two Sheds
Had a quick look at the link you gave and it looks very useful, will be putting finger to keyboard shortly and bashing our a few letters to whoever will listen (and also to those who won't but thats life), I would like to urge all on here to pass the word about this and maybe even, like me send, out a few letters, (well what harm can be done).
Sluglobber i agree it will more or likely come to nothing But
Sometimes just doing something (like setting up a petition for people to sign) makes others feel they are at least doing their bit and also brings peoples attention to the problem, also other thing may come out of it like the link Two Sheds put up which i never knew about (but then this is the first time i have done something like this).
So doing at least something is better than doing nothing at all.
Anyway please feel free to add comments, write letter or sign petitions and maybe just maybe we can change things.
All the best Phattaff

[smallblueplanet]

There are certainly a few on here who keep bees, but also just lots who like bees...



Soil Association Press Release - neonicotinoids

Pesticides: Germany bans chemicals linked to honeybee devastation | Environment | guardian.co.uk

I've posted the links already BrideXIII.

Also from the above Soil Assoc. link:

http://www.soilassociation.org/web/s...er%2026.09.pdf

[Pumpkin Becki]

A little while ago Headfry posted a link to a government petition to invest more time and resources into investigating the decline of the bees and the effects of varoa (I think). Lots of people from the Vine signed-up. I'm sure we'd do so again. Without bees, life as we know it wouldn't exist - they may be small, but they are a critical part of our eco system.

[Phattaff]

BrideXIII
I read it in either Grow Your Own of Kitchen Garden, but there is something about this subject on the Soil Association website (sorry don't know about doing links and stuff)

[BrideXIII]

I've posted the links already BrideXIII.

Also from the above Soil Assoc. link:

http://www.soilassociation.org/web/s...er%2026.09.pdf

so you did, totally missed that, and now the kids are trying to kill each other.
will be glad when they have gone swimming tonight and i can concentrate.

[Hilary B]

I've signed about a dozen of these 'No 10 petitions' (on a wide range of subjects). Eventually you get a reply which is basically "we note your comments and this is why we are not going to do what you want". The request for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty got an enormous number of signatures, but the standard response was "this is a matter for Parliament". They are not totally lacking in a sense of humour, because the 'petition to make Jeremy Clarkson PM' actually got an appropriately comic response. The rest just get a polite version of 'get lost'.

[BrideXIII]

well I figured as much anyway. but....... and its a big but, if you do a petiton, its a firststep, even if they take no notice, you can prove you did one when you step up the campaign and they DO take notice.

letter to MP's are the obvious way to go, but point out in them that a petition is in progress, its another piece of ammo is all.