Subscribe to Receive the Daily Report

Friday, April 26th, 2013

EU Set To Ban Pesticides Blamed for Decline of Bees: Source

Author:    
Source:     EU Business
Publication Date:     25 April 2013, 18:06 CET
 Link: EU Set To Ban Pesticides Blamed for Decline of Bees: Source
Stephan:   Finally, we may have some good news about the bees. It's not a done deal yet, but it looks possible. It appears that whereas the American Congress, captured as it is by corporate forces, cares nothing for facts concerning the crisis of the bees, the EU has begun to recognize officially what is happening with these small creatures upon whom our wellbeing depends. And they are seem to be willing to do something about it -- ban the insecticides that a growing body of research say are at least a major cause of the problem.

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM — The EU appears set to impose a two-year ban on the use of insecticides blamed for a sharp and worrying decline in bee populations, an EU source said Thursday.

A committee of experts is due to vote Monday on the ban in an effort to protect bees and other insects which play an indispensible role in food production through plant pollination.

A vote earlier this year failed to produce a large enough qualified majority in favour, forcing the European Commission to try a second time.

Under EU procedure, if Monday’s vote is the same, the Commission has the authority to proceed on its own with the ban.

‘The most likely outcome will be the same as last time … and in that case, the Commission will decide to put the ban into operation,’ the source said.

The Commission wants the insecticides banned for use on four major crops — maize (corn), rape seed, sunflowers and cotton — in a bid to protect the bee population.

‘The nightmare scenario that there would be a qualified majority against the ban is virtually impossible,’ the source added.

Experts have isolated three compounds causing concern — clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, known as neonicotinoids — which are present in […]

Read the Full Article