UK Parliament submissions on pesticides

[Johnthefarmer]

are you not at the nitpicking stage?



or am i?

precautionary principle?

[Jon]

Nope. It is field realistic or it isn't.
If you want to test safety you have to do it under field realistic conditions.

[gavin]

Who picks nits these days? Just get those neonics on them!

[Johnthefarmer]

Who picks nits these days? Just get those neonics on them!

Glad to see you're keeping your eye on things.


If a trial is reported to show no ill effects of neonics, then says it found impaired foraging behaviour at ,possibly, X10 dose is that relevant, or not?

If not, why mention it?

[Johnthefarmer]

Nope. It is field realistic or it isn't.
If you want to test safety you have to do it under field realistic conditions.

Or maybe slightly over.....

[Jon]

Would you ban cars if it could be proven that exhaust fumes took on average a few days from the average lifespan of every human?

You need to get real about risk. It is all around us and can never be eliminated 100%

[Johnthefarmer]

Would you ban cars if it could be proven that exhaust fumes took on average a few days from the average lifespan of every human?

You need to get real about risk. It is all around us and can never be eliminated 100%

Answers to the above might be to introduce catalytic converters, cleaner engines,electric cars etc. but we're talking pesticides and insects here, and we really don't need to treat every seed, every year with systemic poisons.

[Jon]

we really don't need to treat every seed, every year with systemic poisons

I don't disagree with that, but you need to have a viable alternative for things like pollen beetle on oil seed rape, preferably one which is not more harmful to bees and other pollinators than the neonicotinoid seed treatment.

What do you suggest?

[Johnthefarmer]

We've stopped growing OSR in Orkney because it's such a rubbish crop.

[Jon]

It is profitable elsewhere though or farmers would not grow it. Orkney is marginal for a lot of crops.