Good afternoon.
Thank you, Chair Blois and Vice-Chairs Barlow and Perron, for the invitation to speak today.
I'm Ted McKinney. I'm very fortunate to serve as the CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, or NASDA.
Who are we? We represent the commissioners, secretaries and directors. These would be direct equivalents to your ministers of ag from your provinces. They represent all 50 states and four international territories.
Many of you are aware that we're responsible for a wide range of programs, including food safety, conservation and environmental protection, while also serving as a coregulator with the U.S. EPA and, in some cases, the USDA on certain programs. Bee health is oftentimes—not always, but oftentimes—a part of our programs.
We have a strong relationship with your provincial ministers. In fact, coming up in a month or two will be the 32nd consecutive year in Saskatchewan for the Tri-National Agricultural Accord, where we address cross-border issues such as regulatory harmonization, animal and plant health, and, I suspect, bee health as well.
Let me speak to bee health.
First, it's critical to plant reproduction. You know that. Three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants and about 35% of the world’s food crops depend on pollinators to reproduce. The health of these species is critical to our agriculture, as it is to yours, in many cases. It's not just for agriculture, but food security and the overall economy.
The varroa mite you've heard referenced before. It is a significant threat. It's a clear and present danger right now facing health, honey production and pollination services.
Interestingly, the varroa mites' full name is varroa destructor, and it is, perhaps, an aptly named parasite because it's a plague for honey bees. The USDA cites the varroa mite as “inflicting more damage and higher economic costs than all other apicultural diseases.” That's quite a claim, I might add.
Before the widespread introduction of varroa mites, beekeepers managed more than three million colonies for crop pollenation, and their winter losses were about 10% to 15%, typically. Today, those losses are averaging more than 40%, reflecting what was just shared by Mr. Winter.
What beekeepers truly need is more tools in the tool box—you'll hear that theme from us—to provide long-term solutions to the varroa mites and other parasitic mites that may arrive.
For commercial beekeepers, there are only three treatments available to combat varroa mites. These treatments are generally effective; however, this short list has not changed in more than a decade. In short, we're not adding new tools to the tool box. There are some folk remedies out there, and they have varying levels of success, but they are certainly far less consistent than these primary three treatments. All of them involve more labour and cost to apply.
The long-term solution to combatting these parasitic mites begins with funding additional research that would protect honeybee hives from the parasitic mites, and funding more research. This is something we're advocating for in our Farm Bill, and hope that you all will, as well, in your Parliament and your departments.
NASDA recognizes that a risk-based regulatory process is a fundamental pillar of future success. It's what we've long applied for and support. Specifically, we support the science-based regulations of pesticides by EPA under our FIFRA, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.
In addition, you have my full appendix that explains the EPA process of assessing these risks.
Here is a bit of international perspective, given my current and former roles. Ag throughout North America faces a lot of challenges, and they are significant. We enjoy tremendous opportunities, though, as well. It's critical that we, as a North American trading bloc, elevate the promotion of science-based decision-making regarding international regulation of sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
The fundamental objectives of this are under attack, most notably by our friends in the European Union under their green deal, and, more specifically, their farm to fork policies.
We at NASDA see this as a clear and present danger. These policies seek to demonize the technological advancements we've made in agriculture through improved chemistry and biotechnologies. If enacted, these policies can and will threaten our ability to produce sufficient food and fibre to support the world's population, which just recently, as you know, surpassed eight billion.
As leaders of Canadian agriculture, we hope this committee will reject calls for scientifically dubious policies promoted by the EU, and in some cases a few other countries, and embrace the technologies that have made our agricultural production so successful, not only in terms of food and feed quality and quantity but also safety, and likewise in terms of our significant environmental achievements.
In conclusion, pollinator health, especially bee health, is critical because of the role they play in plant reproduction across the globe. In producing food, fuel and fibre, we stand ready to work with you. I might say that some of these comments come from my own experience working on a farm with pesticides over my lifetime.
Thank you for the opportunity to join you on this occasion.