Vote on pesticide endorsement taken at British Bee Keeper Association Meeting (From Smallholder)

Vote on pesticide endorsement taken at British Bee Keeper Association Meeting

3:52pm Friday 28th January 2011 in Bees and Honey

At its Annual Delegate Meeting held on Saturday 15th January, delegates, representing British Bee Keeping Association's 20,000 members, voted overwhelming in favour of the proposition put forward by its Executive Board of Trustees.

The vote - 48 delegates in favour, 7 against and with 5 absentions - confirms the decision to cease the endorsement of four synthetic pyrethroid based products and the related product specific payments, but will continue its dialogue with the plant protection industry to improve the stewardship of all pesticides and their proper use. It will continue also to argue for the well being of honey bees with regulatory authorities.

A further proposition put forward by the Twickenham and Thames Valley Beekeeping Association, and amended by the meeting endorsed the Trustees decision with a membership vote of 16,777 in favour, 1949 against and 352 abstentions.

This allows the BBKA to continue to be able to invite companies to support legitimate activities such as research colloquia, attend the BBKA Spring Convention or support the BBKA Research Fund.

Martin Smith, BBKA President, said: “These overwhelming votes reflects the views of our growing membership and their confidence in the Executive. It allows the BBKA to move on. The four products are of declining commercial importance and the development of new classes of pesticide and application techniques meant that we should review our relationship with the plant protection industry.”

More on being bee friendly in the March issue of Smallholder magazine