I too want to thank you all for coming. This is a really serious matter we're dealing with. As I said last Tuesday, I'm quite conflicted about it. We're trying to dig down and look at the best evidence available to us and also distinguish the fact that, candidly, some witnesses have their own interests and their own income at heart. We have to weigh that as well; there's no question.
I put to Maria Trainer from CropLife on Tuesday the possibility that this is a perfect storm, the coming together of the parasitic varroa mite, the viruses, bacteria, poor nutrition, genetics, weather, and pesticides. Given all of those factors coming together last year in this province, it particularly affected our beekeepers here, but it didn't out west, as you noted. It didn't in South America, apparently, where the same pesticides are being used. Everybody is perplexed.
Rod, you're from the Canadian Honey Council. I expect you speak for a number of organizations and a number of people. Could you tell us who you speak for in total? I want a sense, because there's another beekeeper over here on the other side, Davis, who's saying we should put a moratorium on it. I haven't heard you say, unequivocally, that we should put a moratorium on it. What I'm hearing you say is that, if we manage this, adopting best practices, we'll be able to hopefully get it under control, particularly with respect to the issue of pesticides.
Can you tell me who it is you speak for? Do you agree that there should not be a moratorium on it? If it is best practices, how do we ensure that all farmers are using best practices? When I spoke to a beekeeper from out west and asked him if he talks to the farmers nearby, he said not really. Are we talking to one another in Ontario? Are we gauging when we seed and warning our beekeepers that this is what's going to happen and when?
Can you talk about those things?