Member states agree new pesticide restriction
Member states have voted by a large majority to restrict the use of fipronil, an insecticide which EU scientists say poses a risk to bees.
From 31 December, it will be illegal to treat maize and sunflower seeds with the active substance made by German chemical giant BASF.
As with the restrictions on neonicotinoids, the rules will be reviewed in two years, while treatment of seeds that will only be sown in greenhouses will still be allowed. Fipronil is a pesticide which spreads to all parts of the plant as it grows, exposing foraging bees to it. Seeds already treated can still be sown until 28 February.
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Only Spain and Romania voted against the restrictions at a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, while the UK, Czech Republic and Slovakia abstained.
The vast majority of fipronil use in Europe is concentrated in Spain, said an official with knowledge of the matter. In northern Europe, it is used mostly on vegetables.
Fipronil is authorised for use in Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Spain, Hungary, The Netherlands, Romania and Slovakia, the EU pesticides register shows. But the EU’s rules mean that pre-treated seeds could be traded and used in any country.
In May, the European Food Safety Authority said use of the insecticide on maize seeds posed a high acute risk to bees. But the level of risk from exposure to dust originating from seed drilling for sunflowers and other crops could not be established.
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In a statement issued on Tuesday, BASF said that other factors than pesticides are behind the decline in bee populations in Europe.
Ahead of the vote, BASF said the EFSA study contained “data gaps” as it could not reach conclusions on the risks from exposure through nectar and pollen, guttation fluid, honeydew or succeeding crops, a spokeswoman said. The firm also criticised the risk assessment scheme on which the research was based.
Environmental groups welcomed the member states’ decision. But Greenpeace said the loopholes in the ban mean the pesticide will remain in the soil and the environment. PAN-Europe, another campaign group, called for a ban on all systemic pesticides including other, less toxic neonicotinoids.
Follow Up:
EC statement, reaction from BASF, PAN-Europe and Greenpeace
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-708_en.htm?locale=en
http://www.pan-europe.info/News/PR/130717.html
