Anti-Neonic Movement Poised to Deliver Knock-Out Punch in Europe
December 6, 2017
Editor’s Note: The EU’s ban on neonicotinoids is not scientifically based. See, EFSA Neonicotinoid Statement: Unfit for Government Use and Paying the Price for the EU’s Disastrous Ban on Neonics. Also see the USDA/Foreign Agricultural Service Report on the EU’s further restrictions on neonicotinoids. The USDA/FAS Report states, “The only basis for the proposed restrictions is EFSA’s risk assessment, which is based on a currently unapproved Bee Guidance Document. This theoretical guidance on how to conduct the risk assessment of the impact of Plant Protection Products on bees is not supported by many EU Member States.”
From: EU Reporter
#SaveTheBees coalition: 80 EU NGOs gather to demand a full ban on neonicotinoids
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Therefore, more than 80 EU NGOs are gathering to ask EU decision-makers to completely ban neonicotinoids without further delay. A proposal from the European Commission to extend the ban to all outdoor crops will be discussed on 12-13 December and member states may be asked to vote on the proposal.
The UK, Ireland and France have recently indicated that they support a tougher ban but other member states have not made their positions known. The Commission’s proposal is based on the conclusions of the European Food Safety Authority that bees are at risk from neonicotinoid use on all outdoor crops not only from use on flowering crops that they are feeding directly on. Several new studies also show how neonicotinoids contaminate the environment and can be found in water and wildflowers putting wildlife at risk.
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