Pennsylvania agriculture secretary Russell Redding visited Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens last week to promote the Plant and Pollinator Protection Act, writes Bill Rettew for The Daily Local News.
Senate Bill 1193 was introduced by Sen. Carolyn Comitta.
Redding recently discussed how the act will benefit food production as well as the health of pollinators, bees, and everyone.
“You can’t talk about plants without discussing pollinators,” said Redding. “We need to look comprehensively at pollinators and look at where the risk is in respect to trade.”
The bill would expand on legislation from the early last century. For a little over a century, Pennsylvania has had a law to protect bees from potential diseases that could inflict major economic issues. A similar bill from 1937 protected plants from pests.
During the visit, Frank Schneider, bureau director of the Pennsylvania Plant Industry, believes the bill can do a lot of good.
“The Plant and Pollinator Protection Act will allow us to continue to provide services which allow for the detection of pests, which leads to the protection of consumers and the promotion of safe trade to all domestic and international markets,” he said.
Read more about promoting the importance of the Plant and Pollinator Protection Act in The Daily Local News.
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