Global bug shortage could end up costing shoppers
Pollinator populations have been hit hard by increased pesticide use in recent years
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Subject: Global bug shortage could end up costing shoppers........................
Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2001 13:12:55 -0400
From: Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State of
California, Department of Pesticide Regulation
cc: Christine Whitman whitman.christine@epa.gov
Dear Mr. helliker, I thought you might like to read an article dated June 7, 2001 and entitled: Global bug shortage could end up costing shoppers by Michael Friscolanti - National Post.
Page URL: http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20010607/584372.html
A global shortage of bees and other bugs that pollinate plants is destroying crops around the world and could lead to far higher prices for fruits and vegetables, University of Guelph researchers say.
"The consumers are ultimately going to pay," said Dr. Peter Kevan, an environmental biology professor. "Instead of buying an apple for 30¢, you'll end up paying $1.50 for it."
Concerns about pollinator shortages are not new -- some researchers say the decline began in Biblical times. But Dr. Kevan and fellow professor Truman Phillips are the first to try to translate the slide into financial terms.
Their research does not pinpoint exactly how high food prices will rise, but rather presents a model for assessing the ramifications for consumers if birds, bees and other pollinators continue to disappear.
"If anybody's going to pay any attention to pollinator declines," Dr. Kevan said, "it's going to be when it hits them in the pocketbook."
Their research, published in the recent issue of Conservation Ecology, an online journal, concludes that although there is little data to work with, the world's food supply is in serious jeopardy if "pollinator abundance, diversity, and availability are not reversed."
A diminished food supply can only mean higher price tags for the produce that does make it to harvest, Dr. Kevan said.
The team's model, which is based on variables such as individual products, trade situations and market conditions, adds another level of clout to a long list of research that says deteriorating supplies of pollinators are ruining billions of dollars worth of food.
Pollinators such as bees, bats, butterflies and birds play a key role in agriculture, transferring pollen from one seed to another. It is a vital step in the production of most fruits and vegetables, as well as a handful of nuts.
Simply put, an under-pollinated apple seed usually means a smaller, unappealing apple.
Many scientists believe people should be prepared for a lot more of the unappealing ones.
Pollinator populations have been hit hard by increased pesticide use in recent years, and a lot of their natural habitat, such as dead trees and old fence posts, have been destroyed to make room for more farmlands, Dr. Kevan said.
Honey bees, which the Canadian Honey Council says are responsible for $1-billion worth of produce every year, are one of the most affected species.
In Ontario in the mid 1980s, for example, there were 115,000 honey bee hives, producing nearly 60,000 bees apiece. Today, there are barely 80,000 hives, said Doug McRory of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
The amount of beekeepers who "rent" their bees to farmers is also down from recent years, forcing farmers to pay heftier fees for pollination.
"The cherry grower may have to sweeten the pot a bit more [this summer]," said Troy Fore, the executive director of the American Beekeeping Federation.
Dr. Ken Richards, a researcher with Canada's Ministry of Agriculture, said the federal government is very aware of the shrinking number of pollinators, and is now gauging ways to measure the decline and find ways to halt it.
"All sorts of things could possibly happen if we don't look to start to take care of our pollinators."
Well, Mr. Helliker, it is interesting that "Pollinator populations have been hit hard by increased pesticide use in recent years" but, there has been no appreciable decline in pest populations. Perhaps you should call your "registered" pesticides - Pollinatorcides or beneficialcides. I am always amazed that after using/misusing over 4.5 Billion pounds of (just the active ingredient in) your "registered" pesticide POISONS annually in just the USA, only the beneficials, the environment and the public health continue to be threatened. After applying these terrrible toxins on an ever-increasing rate for over 50 years, you have not even controlled much less eliminated even one pest species. You have however eliminated or threatened the existance of a lot of beneficial species. One has to ask you one question: Why are your "registered" POISONS the only "legal" way to "control" pest problems?
Respectfully, Stephen L. Tvedten
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