EU to ban outdoor use of pesticides linked to bee declines
According to Reuters, the European Union is set to “completely ban” the outdoor use of neonicotinoid insecticides that have been blamed for killing bees, and for keeping other bees from laying eggs.
According to Reuters, the European Union is set to “completely ban” the outdoor use of neonicotinoid insecticides that have been blamed for killing bees, and for keeping other bees from laying eggs.
“All outdoor use of the three substances will be banned and the neonicotinoids in question will only be allowed in permanent greenhouses where no contact with bees is expected,” the EU announced on April 27.
An EU committee approved the plan to tightly restrict use of the insecticides, acting upon scientific advice from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to tighten existing restrictions and protect bees, crucial pollinators. The EFSA said in February that it had confirmed risks to both honeybees and to wild bees such as bumblebees posed by neonicotinoid pesticides.
Neonicotinoids work by becoming integrated throughout a plant's structure—instead of just coating the surface of leaves, for instance, the poison is sent to flowers, pollen, and nectar. When insects encounter the material, their nervous systems come under a devastating attack.
In response to the EU’s decision, Bayer CropScience—a seller of neonicotinoids—released the following statement on its website: “Today’s decision by the EU Member States to restrict the use of certain neonicotinoids to applications in permanent greenhouses is a bad deal for the European agricultural sector and the environment, and one that will not improve the lot of bees or other pollinators. The decision will further reduce European farmers’ ability to tackle important pests, for many of which there are no alternative treatments available.”
The company believes that there are “other, better ways to support pollinator health—such as increasing pollinator foraging options or natural habitats and more efficient control of the varroa mite—than banning substances that have helped farmers effectively manage a broad range of significant pests.”
Bayer and another pesticide company have already challenged the EU’s existing restrictions on neonicotinoids that were enacted in 2013. A verdict in that case is due this month.