Look Who’s Behind This Large Study to “Help the Bees”

By Heather Callaghan

In a recent press release by the Alberta Beekeepers Commission, it was announced that a Canada-wide health surveillance study of the honeybee will take place over the next four years.

According to the ABC, the study will be conducted in order to find connections between the health of the honeybee population and honeybee pests and diseases.

However, while the study may seem like a positive that could scarcely be argued against, the truth is that the study will be funded in part by Canada’s government and also by major international biotech and agricultural companies such as Monsanto, BASF, Bayer, DuPont and several others.

Partial funding for the study comes from Canada’s Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (equivalent to the USDA), as the result of a grant which was applied for by the ABC – which represents 60% of Canada’s honey crop.

The study will collect samples from across the country in all 10 provinces and will allegedly be analysed for “the most common bee pests and diseases. In addition, apiaries will be sampled for high-risk exotic pests.”

According to the ABC, “the project will document the distribution and intensity of known and potential diseases, pests and parasites in Canada’s commercial beekeeping industry.”

Notably lacking, however, is the question of potential adverse bee health effects related to such obvious toxins and environmental pollutants as genetically modified foods and industrial chemical pesticides. This of course, might be due to the fact that the study is also funded by CropLife Canada, a subsidiary of CropLife International.

CropLife International is a consortium of Big Agri and biotech companies like Monsanto, DuPont, Bayer CropScience, Dow AgroSciences, Syngenta, BASF, FMC Corp and Sumitomo.

CropLife International was previously known as Global Crop Protection Federation as well as International Group of National Associations of Manufacturers of Agrochemical Products.

Indeed, it appears that the most dangerous bee pests are not lurking near the Canadian beehives, but providing funding for the study itself.

With friends like these, the bees need no enemies. It is highly unlikely that the Canadian bee study will produce any valid or productive results.

Heather Callaghan is a natural health blogger and food freedom activist. You can see her work at NaturalBlaze.com and ActivistPost.com. Like at Facebook.