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posted by cmn32480 on Friday September 23 2016, @10:46PM   Printer-friendly
from the bee-nicer-to-nature dept.

Common Dreams reports

Agrochemical giants Syngenta and Bayer discovered in their own tests that their pesticides caused severe harm to bees, according to unpublished documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by the environmental group Greenpeace.

The companies conducted the trials on products that used the controversial pesticides known as neonicotinoids, or neonics, which have long been linked to rapid bee decline. Neonics are also the world's most commonly used pesticide.

According to their own studies, Syngenta's thiamethoxam and Bayer's clothianidin were found to cause severe harm at high levels of use, although the effect was lessened when used under 50 parts per billion (ppb) and 40ppb respectively, the Guardian reports.

However, as Greenpeace notes, the research "assumes a very narrow definition of harm to bee health and ignores wild bees which evidence suggests are more likely to be harmed by neonicotinoids".

That means the findings may "substantially underestimate" the impact of neonics, Greenpeace said.

[...] the studies are not realistic. The bees were not exposed to the neonics that we know are in planting dust, water drunk by bees, and wildflowers wherever neonics are used as seed treatments. This secret evidence highlights the profound weakness of regulatory tests.

Our previous discussions about neonicotinoids.


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  • (Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 23 2016, @11:16PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 23 2016, @11:16PM (#405756)

    What's new here? I thought this was NEWs, not OLDs...
    Of course these fuckers have these studies and they are damning for them. And of course they don't release them because it hurts their bottom line. Seriously, this is surprising how?

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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by bob_super on Friday September 23 2016, @11:59PM

    by bob_super (1357) on Friday September 23 2016, @11:59PM (#405772)

    > Of course these fuckers have these studies and they are damning for them. And of course they don't release them because it hurts their bottom line.

    CTRL-C
    What's the percentage of SN stories which can reuse this quote with less than three words changed?

    Such a happy bunch of people we are...

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Post-Nihilist on Saturday September 24 2016, @12:58AM

      by Post-Nihilist (5672) on Saturday September 24 2016, @12:58AM (#405787)

      I am happy yet I have a bitterness against societiy institutions... Denouncing the shit factory were in does not make one a sad puppy....

      --
      Be like us, be different, be a nihilist!!!
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 24 2016, @01:55AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 24 2016, @01:55AM (#405809)

        If you look at institutions and all you ever see are shit factories then (a) you are bitter as fuck and (b) you are on the path to making things worse.

        Denounciations without any efforts to implement accountability isn't post-nihilist, its just plain old nihilist. Easy to do, and totally useless.

        • (Score: 2) by Post-Nihilist on Saturday September 24 2016, @02:31AM

          by Post-Nihilist (5672) on Saturday September 24 2016, @02:31AM (#405825)

          And yet flowers blooms in manure and bitterness gives characters to drinks.
          So is the tao of the nihilist:

          you can't believe in anything yet you have to believe in nihilism

          --
          Be like us, be different, be a nihilist!!!
          • (Score: 2) by Post-Nihilist on Saturday September 24 2016, @03:20AM

            by Post-Nihilist (5672) on Saturday September 24 2016, @03:20AM (#405832)

            Oh, I forgot about add, bees like Flowers... And for all the nicotinoïde gloom and doom, I have observed a growing varieties of wild bees pollinating the various fruits and flowers I grow around my house

            --
            Be like us, be different, be a nihilist!!!
          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 24 2016, @04:17AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 24 2016, @04:17AM (#405847)

            > And yet flowers blooms in manure and bitterness gives characters to drinks.

            If you were a real nihilist you'd know that flowers and drinks are inherently pointless.
            You are just a poser who pretends at a false nihilism because it lets you be lazy and feel righteous.

            • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 24 2016, @10:39AM

              by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 24 2016, @10:39AM (#405894)

              Post is Latin for "after", dearie. A post-nihilist is no longer nihilist.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 24 2016, @01:56AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 24 2016, @01:56AM (#405811)

    Just because its not surprising does not make it news. I really appreciate this news story, it makes complaints about these things legitimate instead of having to convince people its something to worry about. Now we can say "see, they knew it was bad and said nothing, evil fucks." Before: "they're evil fuckers killing the planet," but they looked at him and said "what a loon, thinks there's a conspiracy everywhere."

    OP you are the one we question, bringing up a tired protest that just makes everyone think you're a corporate shill. Quick! Minimize the discussion!

    NOW. How about some consequences for these corporations? I think every farmer everywhere has a good chance at a class action lawsuit against these shitty death dealers. One can only hope it bankrupts them and we are forced to return to somewhat natural farming practices...

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 24 2016, @02:03AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 24 2016, @02:03AM (#405815)

      Shit, "Just because its not surprising does not mean it isn't news..."

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 24 2016, @10:35AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 24 2016, @10:35AM (#405893)

    10. Associate opponent charges with old news.

    --https://cryptome.org/2012/07/gent-forum-spies.htm [cryptome.org]