Brussels, 26/08/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 26 August, a new study by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) confirmed the link between the spraying of three neonicotinoid pesticides and the harmful effects on bees.
In this study carried out at the request of the European Commission, EFSA assessed the safety of pesticides thiamethoxam (produced by Syngenta), clothianidin and imidacloprid (both produced by Bayer) when sprayed on crops. It concluded that “high risks were either identified or could not be excluded” to bees.
EFSA also pointed to serious knowledge gaps on the impacts of these pesticides on other pollinators and stressed that “the risk assessment could not be finalised due to data gaps”.
New appeal for total ban on neonicotinoids. The environmental NGO, Greenpeace, believes this new review drives home the message even further that neonicotinoids should be subject to a total ban. Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director Marco Contiero said: “EFSA has confirmed what has already been demonstrated by a wealth of scientific evidence: neonicotinoids are a serious threat to bees and to the future of farming. The Commission should expand the EU-wide ban to cover all uses of neonicotinoids on all crops, and end the self-service approach to derogations. Viable non-chemical alternatives exist and the EU should encourage farmers to use them”.
The two-year moratorium in force in the EU since December 2013 on the use of the three neonicotinoids responsible for killing bees are only applied to seed treatment, soil applications (granules) and folliar plant treatments, including grains (with the exception of winter cereals) that attract bees (see EUROPE 11109).
The decision by the Commission was made in April 2013, on the basis of the scientific recommendations from EFSA. In January 2013, the latter acknowledged that these pesticides contained serious risks to Europe's honeybees. The new EFSA review was carried out in keeping with the 1107/2009/EC Regulation on the marketing of phyto-pharmaceutical products. Article 21 of this regulation calls from the re-examination of approvals granted to active substances authorised in the EU, in light of new scientific data, technical knowledge and monitoring data. (Aminata Niang)