STAF puts sting in bee discussion again

The presentation of the petition from the Agri Facts Foundation (STAF) went without a hitch, with the playful promotion of handing out the beehives of rye straw to the 7 members of the House of Representatives present. There was also an extra large basket for Attje Kuiken (PvdA), the chairman of the standing parliamentary committee on Agriculture. In that regard, STAF has achieved its goal: to draw attention to its report 'Bees on farmland do better.'

The result of the own data analysisThe fact that bees and bumblebee species in the Netherlands have not disappeared as a result of neonicotinoids has also reached parliament. It is also encouraging that 7 MPs (from the VVD, the CDA, the SP, the SGP and the PvdA) wanted to receive the petition, which argues for more and better research as well as the reconsideration of the ban on coated beet seed.

With limited resources, STAF has already put itself on the map in recent months, especially in the correction of agricultural-related information by companies and organisations. Offering the petition and compiling the report is another step for the organization, which claims to be constantly searching for the truth. However, in a very complex field of forces such as the sensitive bee discussion, it is extremely difficult to claim the truth. It will be attacked from various sides in no time.

It is highly questionable that Schouten moves
Whether STAF will move in the current course of Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality), who has so far followed the European course via the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), is still highly questionable. STAF achieved its first success on Wednesday 5 June. In the procedure meeting of the standing parliamentary committee, Helma Lodders (VVD) received broad support for her request for an official response from Schouten to the STAF investigation. It therefore had to assess the conclusions of the investigation and indicate whether it deems further investigation necessary.

The key question is whether STAF's ultimate goal, an exemption for the use of coated beet seed for the 2020 harvest year, is realistic. That is why there are still many political problems on the road. The European ban on neonicotinoids has freed politics from a headache and the chance that Minister Schouten will stick out her neck specifically for the Netherlands for coated beet seed is small.

Before that, STAF should have poked fun at the bee discussion 1 year ago, but the foundation had not yet been established at that time and the traditional advocates have not picked up on it. But, not shooting is always wrong. The warning finger that STAF raises, profiling itself as a fact-checker for the agricultural and horticultural sector, is perhaps just as important in discussions about crop protection, among other things.

Eric the Thrush

Eric is editor-in-chief of Boerenbusiness. As a descendant of an arable family, farmer's blood flows through Eric's veins. He considers himself a generalist, but with a preference for economics, trends, markets and marketing.

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