Brussels, 28/08/2013 (Agence Europe) - Two agro-chemical pesticide groups - the Swiss Syngenta and Germany's Bayer - are taking legal action against the decision of the European Commission to impose a partial ban, starting on 1 December of this year, on the use of three of the neonicotinoid insecticides most dangerous to bees (Regulation 485/2013) - to the great consternation of environmental NGOs, which expressed their outrage on 27 & 28 August.
Syngenta's initiative, which was launched on 14 August, challenges the validity of the decision, arguing that it was made “on the basis of a flawed process, an inaccurate and incomplete assessment by the European Food Safety Authority” (EFSA) and without the full support of EU member states. We firmly believe that “the Commission wrongly linked thiamethoxam to the decline in bee health”, said on Wednesday John Atkin, Chief Operating Officer of Syngenta, invoking an infringement of EU legislation applicable to pesticides and criticising the Commission for having “incorrectly applied the precautionary principle”.
An ardent proponent of a total ban on pesticides which are harmful to bees, PAN Europe (Pesticide Action Network) claims that Syngenta and Bayer have been trying for years to create an image of responsible industries caring about the fate of these and other pollinators, but that their masks have now fallen. Syngenta continues trying to spread misleading information by placing biodiversity and pathogens as the main causes of the bees' decline, whilst also trying to present its product as modern, says PAN Europe. Martin Dermine, the network's bee project coordinator, criticised the companies' “doublespeak”.
“Syngenta continues to ignore scientific evidence that clearly links thiamethoxam and other pesticides to bee mortality. Instead of taking the Commission to court, it should act responsibly and stop marketing its bee-killing pesticides. The Commission was right to intervene”, Greenpeace spokesperson Marc Breddy said on Tuesday.
The decision made by the Commission in April was based on the EFSA conclusions. As well as the three neonicoitinoids which will be partially banned (thiamethoxam, clothianidine and imidacloprid), EFSA recognised that Fipronil also presented a risk of acute toxicity to honey bees. On 4 July of this year, PAN Europe and the Confédération paysanne called on the Commission to carry out an examination of its regulation and announced that they would take legal action if the Commission failed to impose a total ban on all use (see EUROPE 10882). (AN/transl.fl)