Remember when we told you we were going to show up on Bayer’s doorstep for its annual shareholder meeting? Well, we did just that. And then some.
Shareholders were expecting to hear all about the fat profits the company made this year, thanks to their flourishing business with bee-killing pesticides. But instead what they got was us.
We made sure to greet every single shareholder outside the AGM in bee costumes, bee-keepers uniforms, and a big mountain of actual dead bees.
Check out our fearsome gang of beekeepers and SumOfUs activists in bee costumes outside the entrance of the Bayer AGM:
We also presented an official shareholder counter-motion directly challenging Bayer’s risky investments in bee-killing pesticides.
There was no way they could escape our message: Bayer’s profits come with a hefty price tag — the massive global die-off of our bees.
The news of our action went around the world, with headlines in the US, South Africa, India and France.
And none of it would have been possible without you.
Thousands of SumOfUs members donated so that we could make sure that those most affected when bees are in danger — the beekeepers — could travel to Bayer’s AGM and speak directly to the board, calling on Bayer to stop producing neonics.
We managed to steal the show and let everyone know: the world is not prepared to stand by in silence while our beloved, hard working bees die in order for Bayer to make millions.
So what’s next?
We have big plans for the months ahead to finally get bee-killing neonics off the shelves. We will keep up the pressure on big hardware chains to stop selling the pesticide, and want to expand our fight to make sure grocery stores stop selling neonics, too.
Right now, we are throwing everything we’ve got at stopping the merger between Monsanto and Bayer. Can you imagine those two companies under one roof? It would be a catastrophe for the bees, farmers, and our whole planet.
When we stand together as the SumOfUs community, we can move even the biggest corporations. France passed a bill that moves towards an outright ban on neonicotinoids — well over and above EU restrictions and exactly what scientists have been demanding for years to save our bees. We are fighting tooth and nail to get Glyphosate, another toxic herbicide, banned in Europe — and delivered a real blow to Monsanto.
Let’s keep fighting to save our bees.
Thanks for everything you do,
Paul, Anne, Rosa and the rest of the team at SumOfUs
PS: We do not take money from corporations. All of our work is made possible by members like yourself. If you can, please consider supporting us regularly by becoming a monthly donor. Thank you.
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