The European Commission is urging EU Member States to vote in favour of increased protection for bees from the highly toxic neonicotinoid pesticide sulfoxaflor.
On Thursday 10 February, it announced that it would soon refer the matter to the Appeal Committee in the hope of finally obtaining the qualified majority required to adopt its proposal to ban the outdoor uses of sulfoxaflor, based on an EFSA assessment (see EUROPE 12618/19). Only the use of sulfoxaflor in permanent greenhouses would then be allowed.
“EFSA’s scientific findings show that the outdoor use of sulfoxaflor can be harmful to bumblebees and solitary bees. It is our responsibility and of the utmost importance to protect our pollinators and biodiversity for present and future generations”, commented Commissioner for Food Safety Stella Kyriakides in a statement.
The EU’s ‘Farm to Fork’ (F2F) and Biodiversity 2030 strategies call for halving the use and risks of chemical pesticides.
In the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (PAFF Committee), national experts have so far failed to reach a decision on this use restriction.
As early as the end of 2020, MEP Eric Andrieu (S&D, France) denounced the attempts of some Member States to keep this neonicotinoid pesticide on the market. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)