Brussels, 27/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - The saga of bee-killing pesticides is definitely not over. The temporary suspension of the use of three neonicotinoid insecticides, decided on Friday 24 April by the European Commission, enters into force on 1 December 2013 (see EUROPE 10852) and has been hailed by environmentalists as the first decisive step in the right direction. The Greens/EFA Group at the European Parliament again argued for a total ban on neonicotinoid insecticides, as had a cross-party group of 90 MEPs previously, in a letter sent to Tonio Borg, the European Commissioner for health and consumer policy.
Bart Staes MEP (Greens/EFA, Belgium), the spokesperson for the group, said that in the context of environmental issues and food safety, the temporary suspension “is a first important step in efforts to address the decline of bee populations. The proposed neonicotinoid suspension is the only logical course of action in the face of the overwhelming and growing body of evidence on the disastrous impact of these insecticides on pollinators and ecosystems. After EU governments were unable to decide in April, the EU Commission today took a responsible decision following the precautionary principle”. The Commission's decision is based on scientific reports from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on the extremely high toxicity risk to bees of the neonicotinoid insecticides. Consequently, “suspending the use of these insecticides is the only responsible course of action in response to these reports that also highlight the failures of European and national risk assessment and monitoring systems, which enabled neonicotinoids to harm bees for a long period. However, the duration of the ban is limited to two years and is only a first step”.
The Greens/EFA state that a complete ban of all neonicotinoids is clearly essential to prevent the collapse of our bee colonies and other insects, as only a full ban will stop the exposure of non-target insects to these persistent, systemic compounds that stay in the soil and find their way to nectar and pollen over many years. Sandrine Bélier (Greens/EFA, France) argued that “the European Commission announced that it would revise these restrictions in the next two years at the latest to take into account 'appropriate' scientific and technical developments but we need to remain vigilant”.
In April, following the two non-conclusive votes by member states on the moratorium proposed by the Commission, DG SANCO obtained carte blanche for ensuring implementation of the restrictions on using the suspected neonicotinoid insecticides. Although around 15 countries responded to the scientific evidence provided and the mobilisation of citizens, activist groups and politicians throughout Europe, by supporting the Commission proposal, some governments gave in to the agri-chemical industry lobby. (AN/transl.fl)