Commission Fails to Agree on Neonicotinoid Pesticide Ban

30 Apr 2013 --- EU Member States did not reach a qualified majority – either in favour or against - in the Appeal Committee which discussed a Commission proposal to restrict the use of 3 neonicotinoid insecticides.

Tonio Borg, Health and Consumer Commissioner, said: "Although a majority of Member States now supports our proposal, the necessary qualified majority was not reached. The decision now lies with the Commission. Since our proposal is based on a number of risks to bee health identified by the European Food Safety Authority, the Commission will go ahead with its text in the coming weeks." To conclude: "I pledge to do my utmost to ensure that our bees, which are so vital to our ecosystem and contribute over €22 billion annually to European agriculture, are protected."

15 Member States supported the restriction, 8 Member States voted against and 4 Member States abstained during the appeal committee vote.

The proposal restricts the use of 3 neonicotinoids (clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiametoxam) for seed treatment, soil application (granules) and foliar treatment on bee attractive plants and cereals.

In addition, the remaining authorised uses are available only to professionals.

Exceptions will be limited to the possibility to treat bee-attractive crops in greenhouses, in open-air fields only after flowering.

The restrictions will apply from 1 December 2013.

As soon as new information is available, and at the latest within 2 years, the Commission will review the conditions of approval of the 3 neonicotinoids to take into account relevant scientific and technical developments.

In absence of an agreement between Member States, it is now for the Commission to decide on the adoption of the proposed restriction.

Following the request of the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published, on 16 January, its scientific findings on the risks associated with the use of three pesticides, belonging to the neonicotinoid family, on bee health. On the basis of this opinion, the Commission tabled a proposal for discussion with Member States.

Experts representing the EU-27 met in the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health on 15 March and failed to reach a qualified majority - either in favour or against – the proposal to restrict the use of three neonicotinoid. 13 Member States supported the restriction, 9 Member States voted against and 5 Member States abstained. The proposal was then referred to the appeal committee on 29 April.

Syngenta acknowledged that European Union (EU) Member States for the second time failed to agree on the European Commission’s proposal for a ban on neonicotinoid pesticides. The latest decision should compel the Commission to return to the negotiating table rather than forcing through the implementation of a ban.

Syngenta Chief Operating Officer, John Atkin, said: “The European Commission has again failed to win the necessary support for its proposed ban on this vital technology. The proposal is based on poor science and ignores a wealth of evidence from the field that these pesticides do not damage the health of bees. Instead of banning these products, the Commission should now take the opportunity to address the real reasons for bee health decline: disease, viruses and loss of habitat and nutrition.”

The proposed ban was triggered by a hurried and highly theoretical review by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), the company claims. It made fundamental mistakes including a serious over-estimation of the amount of pesticide bees are exposed to in the field. It also ignored key studies and independent monitoring, including recent data from the UK Government, which found no evidence that neonicotinoids impact bee health.

Bee health decline is among the biggest challenges facing agriculture. Syngenta again called on the European Commission to broaden efforts to tackle the real causes of bee health decline. The company highlighted the recent launch of its own bee health action plan, which complements its work over the past 10 years through the Operation Pollinator initiative.