Update: A useful site for keeping tracking of pollinator legislation and all things bees is the Beez Kneez Healthy Bees, Healthy Lives campaign.
They note the successful of earlier pollinator legislation in the Minnesota (both of which have made into law in some form or the other) on the campaign page:
1)SF2727 (Dibble)–Beekeeper Compensation–This bill concerns bees and other pollinators killed by pesticide. If the pesticide applicator cannot be identified or the pesticide applicator is identified and found to have followed application instructions and restrictions on the product’s label, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) could compensate the bee owner from state Pesticide Regulatory Account. The Pesticide Regulatory Account contains the fees and penalties paid to MDA by pesticide manufacturers, distributors, and applicators.
SF 2695 (Dziedzic) This bill defines “pollinator lethal insecticides,” and says that nurseries cannot label plants as pollinator-friendly if they’ve been pretreated with these pesticides. It prohibits labeling or advertising a plant, plant material, or nursery stock as beneficial to pollinators if the plant was treated with an insecticide that was absorbed by the plant and, as a result, the plant is lethal to pollinators.
Why are we not surprised to see Senator Dibble's name on a bill that's good policy? Thanks also to Senator Dziedzic.
Back in mid-March, Bluestem posted in Minnesota House Ag Policy Committee to hear bipartisan bill on safe-for-pollinators plants:
Restitution is an old concept, and another Hansen bill, HF2908, hopes to provide for compensation when bee death caused by pesticide poisoning, establish a pollinator emergency response team, and provide a civil liability for bee deaths. The final item is restitution.
The money for compensation when "the loss of the bees was likely caused by an acute pesticide poisoning and the source and applicator of the pesticide cannot be determined" will come from the pesticide regulatory account. When an investigation determines that bee deaths came from a particular applicator, the bill provides that the applicator pay the beekeeper for the bee deaths:
A pesticide applicator that has knowingly violated the law resulting in the death of bees kept for commercial purposes is liable for any actual damages resulting from the violation, including any economic damages associated with loss or damage to bees kept. In awarding damages under this section, there is a rebuttable presumption that the economic value of a damaged or destroyed bee population is consistent with the value assigned to bees by the commissioner of agriculture . . .
It's not rocket science, but an old concept, and should help Minnesota's struggling beekeepers. This proposal shouldn't be considered controversial and deserves passage.
Alas, the bill seemed to falter a bit, but fortunately, the language popped up again in the HF3172 supplemental budget bill conference committee report, [18B.055] COMPENSATION FOR BEES KILLED BY PESTICIDE; APPROPRIATION.
Scroll down to lines 160.29 and read how beekeepers will be compensated for bee deaths.
Image: Bees pollinate food creators.
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