I'd say it's about as likely as they are getting money from developers..
The UK is probably the most corrupt democracy (pmsl) around!
for the EU minded....
- Thread starter ladylola
- Start date
The UK is probably the most corrupt democracy (pmsl) around!
I was all in favour of the EU on this one but as you say the UK has voted against the ban god alone knows why as there is a huge amount of evidence that it causes serious harm to the bee population.
However , the EU have now got the required majority to bring in a two year ban.
Here's a story from Italy-
http://www.youris.com/Environment/B...his_springs_neonicotinoidfree_maize_sowing.kl
Just watched the news as this subject has been close to my heart for a while.
If this poison is banned, then the apiarist will find that the farmers will go back to old remedies that caused the bees more problems.
I wish people would tell the truth for once in a while, instead of being greedy for money.
Sometimes, i think, go on then, don't listen to no one, keep dishing the poison out and lets see ALL the bees die, ok, all the bees are dead, now what?
Maybe all us on the sick/dole will be employed after all.
If this poison is banned, then the apiarist will find that the farmers will go back to old remedies that caused the bees more problems.
I wish people would tell the truth for once in a while, instead of being greedy for money.
Sometimes, i think, go on then, don't listen to no one, keep dishing the poison out and lets see ALL the bees die, ok, all the bees are dead, now what?
Maybe all us on the sick/dole will be employed after all.
Maybe thats what the world needs. All the bees to die out. Then mass starvation will follow reducing world populations. The planet can only sustain about 3 billion people.
As humanity carries on with its current consumption of resources, globally it will need the capacity of two Earths by 2030.
As humanity carries on with its current consumption of resources, globally it will need the capacity of two Earths by 2030.
The first drafts evidently made any exchange of plant reproductive material illegal so seed swaps would have become banned under the new law. How it would be policed is another matter mind.
However, an update
The redrafting has now addressed some of the concerns voiced and whilist it is still a bad law it's better than it was
In particular, paragraph 2 of the last proposal draft covers derogations, including:
“Derogation on niche market plant reproductive material
In addition, proportionate and sustainable rules for small scale activities concerning plant reproductive material, which is adapted to local conditions, and made available on the market in small quantities, should be established. Such varieties should be exempted from the requirements on registration and making available on the market. This material is defined as niche market plant reproductive material. The exemption should concern e.g. farmer-breeders or gardener-breeders whether being professional operators or not. However, some basic rules on labelling and traceability of the material should be laid down. In order to prevent an abuse of the exemption the material should only be made available on the market in a defined size of packages.”
This is further clarified in Article 2:
This Regulation shall not apply to plant reproductive material:
(a) intended solely for testing or scientific purposes;
(b) intended solely for breeding purposes;
(c) intended solely for, and maintained by, gene banks, organisations and networks of conservation of genetic resources, or persons belonging to those organisations or networks;
(d) exchanged in kind between persons other than professional operators.”
While this is good news for seed banks and swaps between private persons, I am not sure how this wording sees the swapping of seeds between local farmers – they are clearly “professional operators”, but would they qualify as pursuing “on-farm conservation” of genetic resources?
There is more information on derogations in Article 36:
“1. Article 14(1) [requiring mandatory registration] shall not apply to plant reproductive material where all of the following conditions are fulfilled:
(a) it is made available on the market in small quantities by persons other than
professional operators, or by professional operators employing no more than
ten persons and whose annual turnover or balance sheet total does not exceed
EUR 2 million;
(b) it is labelled with the indication ‘niche market material’.”
So there is a certain leeway for small-scale producers, but clearly the EU is trying to find a balance on where producer protection stops and regulatory oversight is necessary.
The new draft also addresses old traditional varieties, as follows:
“Old traditional varieties. Concerning old varieties, such as conservation varieties (including landraces), or so called ‘amateur varieties’, less stringent requirements should continue to be laid down in view of promoting their on farm conservation and use as currently regulated under the Directives 2008/62/EC and 2009/145/EC. The varieties will continue to be registered, however, on the basis of an ‘officially recognised description’ which shall be recognised – but not produced – by the competent authorities.
In addition, the press release stresses that the use of seeds in private gardens, and the private sale of seeds in small quantities, will not fall under the scope of the regulation, that old traditional varieties and heterogenous material will only be subject to “light registration rules” (and are exempt from the testing requirements), and that micro-enterprises are generally exempt from registration fees.
The law is here-http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/pressroom/docs/proposal_aphp_en.pdf
I'd like to think that the commision had some sense and a change of heart or maybe that the europe wide protests made a difference but really we should thank aron for telling all those people to vote ukip and scaring the big faceless eu.