Think Before You Buy (Your Groceries)

by Eric Rempel

Last week in this column, retired beekeeper David Dawson drew our attention to the alarming collapse of
bee colonies around the world. This is also occurring in southeastern Manitoba. As David made very clear, we
should all be alarmed. I want to make a few more points with regard to this problem:
• Honey bees have minders – caretakers. We call them beekeepers, and because they inform us, we
know what is happening to honey bees. Other polinators don't have minders, we do not know what is
happening to them, but it is reasonable to assume other pollinators are also in decline.
• Although there can be no doubt that bee colony collapse has increased in concert with the increased
use of the neonicotinoid insecticide, the manufacturers and users of the insecticide ingeniously point
out that there is no proof that the insecticide is causing the bee deaths. So far Canadian regulators give
the manufacturers the benefit of the doubt.
• Neonicotinoids are beloved by crop growers because of their persistence. The seed is coated with this
insecticide before seeding. The plant, as it grows, absorbs the insecticide, and becomes poisonous to
insects throughout its life. This is beautiful because the farmer now no longer needs to worry about
insect pests – beautiful except for the unintended side effects: the death of beneficial insects like
honey bees and and other pollinators.
• The very persistence that makes this insecticide so attractive for the production of some crops, is the
very characteristic that makes it so dangerous in its unintended side effects. As David pointed out
last week, the insecticide is now found in marshes, carried there in runoff water, and in bee colonies,
carried there by pollinating bees. It is not yet known what ultimately happens to the insecticide,
although it is known that it will persist in the soil for 19 years.
• Due to the persistence of the insecticide, by the time the unintended side effects are blatantly,
indisputably obvious, there will be so much of this persistent insecticide in our environment that it will
very hard to clean up. Merely stopping the use of the insecticide will not immediately reverse a trend.
It is because of these concerns that the European Union and Japan have chosen to ban the use of the
insecticide. There is no such ban in Canada.

If this information concerns you, what can you do? You certainly could, as David suggests, join us at the
South Eastman Transition Initiative. We exist to talk about such concerns. You could (and should) write a letter
to our MP.

But your concern should also affect how you spend your grocery dollar. “Think before you buy” when you
fill your grocery cart. If you chose to buy organic, not only are you buying chemical free food, but you are also
sending a clear signal that you are willing to pay the extra that it takes to produce food without chemicals.

Food producers and the government will pay attention.