Last Friday, Member States did not meet a qualified majority in the vote on the European Commission proposal to ban the use of neonicotinoid insecticides in crops that attract bees.
The Appeal Committee of the European Commission will decide the fate of this important agricultural technology. Carlos Palomar, general director of the Association for Plant Protection (AEPLA), said after the vote of the Standing Committee for the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCFCAH), "The crop protection industry wants to emphasize that the proposed prohibition imposed by European Commission hasn't received the majority vote sought.
This demonstrates that countries have doubts about the proportionality of the measures proposed and that would have caused a serious impact on agricultural production, with economic and employment losses, without ensuring the health of bee populations. Secondly, countries disagree with how fast decision-making has been, when data from countries that have implemented proper risk mitigation measures have shown that coexistence between farmers and beekeepers is perfectly possible, and with mutual benefits. Health problems of bees are numerous, mainly parasites, disease and poor nutrition.
We share the concern about the health of bees, but, in the absence of evidence, you must have plenty of current rigorous scientific review procedures and not consider suspensions with so little basis. We suggest extending and reinforcing risk mitigation measures as well as increasing samples in the field in the coming years", concluded Palomar.
Source: Interempresas