Brussels, 16/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 17 July, the EU member states took a stance in favour of placing a two-year ban on the use of Fipronil in the open air. Fipronil is an insecticide from the German group BASF and has proven fatal for bee populations. The Commission's proposal was supported by 23 countries within the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCFCAH). Only Spain, the first user, and Romania, voted against
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) stated in May this year that Fipronil - an insecticide that has a broad range of action and belongs to the phenylpyrazole family of chemicals - presents an acute risk for bees when used to treat maize seedlings (see EUROPE 10855).
From 31 December 2013, its use will be banned for two years for the treatment of maize and sunflower seeds. Authorisations may be granted for the treatment of seeds that will only be sown in greenhouses. However, this exception does not apply to leeks, shallots, onions and brassica vegetables (such as Brussels sprouts, cauliflower or broccoli). BASF challenged this decision, considering that the Commission should undertake an ambitious action plan in order to identify the real causes of the decline in the health of bees, rather than continue to limit farmers' access to innovative technologies. The environmental NGO Greenpeace, for its part, said the moratorium was insufficient, and called for a lasting ban which, it says, is the only way bee populations can be allowed to recover. The European Commission had already decided in May to ban the use of three neonicotinoids (imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and clothiandin) for two years, used in pesticides from the groups Bayer and Syngenta.
France has banned the use of Fipronil since 2005. Only five EU member states still use it for maize (Spain, Hungary, Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Slovakia). This insecticide is also used for other crops in Belgium, Romania and the Netherlands. (LC/transl.jl)