For decades, top officials at the Environmental Protection Agency (PEA)
were aware that a compound approved for agricultural use in the United
States was wiping out the honeybee population, but they chose to ignore
the compound's effects in deference to pressure from agri-giant
corporations.
Worse, the agency reacted harshly to anyone within
the EPA who attempted to bring the issue to light, including through
firings, forced reassignments and other actions.
According to a scholarly 2014 study
[PDF] compiled by researcher Rosemary Mason, "on behalf of a global
network of independent scientists, beekeepers and environmentalists,"
and published on the website of MIT, "We have found historical and
chronological evidence to show that the herbicide glyphosate (or other
herbicides that are used as alternatives) is responsible for the
transformation of garden escapes into super-weeds (in the UK these are
termed 'invasive species')."
Further, Mason and her team noted
that glyphosate -- the primary substance found in Monsanto's Roundup
herbicide -- was introduced in Europe in 1974 "and became a global
best-selling herbicide because the public was told by industry and the
regulators that it was 'safe.'"
The results have been disastrous.
For one, the heavy use of glyphosate has led to the rise of so-called
"superweeds" that are resistant to the herbicide. But there is another
compound that was approved by the EPA
-- over the objections of scientists -- that has had a devastating
effect on the nation's honeybee population: clothianidin, which is used
for seed treatment on corn and canola, by Bayer.
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