EU Member States Fail to Agree on Neonicotinoids Ban

18 Mar 2013 --- On 15 March 2013, Member States did not agree with the Commission proposal to ban three pesticides (neonicotinoids) that are believed to threaten Europe’s bee population and consequently Europe’s crop production.

A ban on 3 pesticides (nenicotinoids (NNI) - clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiametoxam) was submitted by the Commission for vote on 15 March 2013 to Member States' experts meeting at a Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health.

The Commission's proposal is a response to the European Food Safety Authority's scientific report which identified "high acute risks" for bees as regards exposure to dust in several crops such as maize, cereals and sunflower, to residue in pollen and nectar in crops like oilseed rape and sunflower and to guttation in maize.

The Commission proposed the following to Member States:
1.    amend the conditions of approval of the 3 NNI in order to restrict the use o nly to crops non attractive to bees and to winter cereals (as dust exposure during autumn is not considered a major issue).
2.    prohibit the sale and use of "seeds treated" with plant protection products containing these active substances (provision not to apply to treated seeds of plants non attractive to bees and to treated seeds of winter cereals).
3.    both measures referred to in points 1) and 2) to be implemented at the latest by 1 July 2013 (thus not affecting the forthcoming sowing season for maize).
4.    prohibit the sale and use to "amateurs". Only professional uses to remain allowed.
5.    To review of both measures by the Commission after 2 years.
Commission to review the conditions of approval of the 3 neonicotinoids (clothianidin, thiametoxam and imidacloprid) - as soon as new information is available - to take into account relevant scientific and technical developments.
6.    Exceptions to be limited to the possibility to treat bee-attractive crops in greenhouses at any time and in open field only after flowering.

The Commission put the text to the vote and no qualified majority was reached, either in favour or against of the text.

Syngenta responded to the failure of the European Commission to win support for an EU-wide ban on neonicotinoid pesticides. A majority of Member States refused to support the proposal to restrict their use on all bee attractive crops. The Commission must now decide whether to appeal the decision or amend its proposal.

Syngenta Chief Operating Officer, John Atkin, said: “We are pleased that EU Member States did not support the European Commission’s shamefully political proposal. Restricting the use of this vital crop protection technology will do nothing to help improve bee health.”

Syngenta has repeatedly highlighted that the European Commission tried to justify its actions on the basis of a hurried and highly theoretical review by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA). This review made fundamental mistakes which led to a serious over-estimation of the amount of pesticide bees are exposed to under field conditions. It also ignored key studies and independent monitoring by governments which prove the safety of neonicotinoid pesticides.

The decline in bee health is one of the biggest challenges facing agriculture. However, even the European Commission’s own data show that pesticides play a negligible role compared to diseases, viruses and loss of habitat.

Syngenta urged the European Commission to broaden efforts to tackle the real causes of the decline in bee health rather than continuing to focus on neonicotinoid pesticides, which deliver significant socio-economic and environmental benefits.

The news came after EFSA has made minor adjustments to its recent assessment of the risks to bees from pesticides containing the neonicotinoid active substance thiamethoxam. The changes, which follow the submission of new information from two Member States, regard some uses of thiamethoxam as a seed treatment for sunflower, oilseed rape and sugar beet. However, the overall conclusions that EFSA reported on 16 January are unaffected.

EFSA’s risk assessment for the use of thiamethoxam on sunflower seeds in Greece has been revised after the Greek reporting authority advised EFSA that the application rate it submitted was too high. Syngenta – which manufactures the pesticide containing the active substance, Cruiser 600FS – confirmed that the data it sent to the Greek authority was inaccurate. For the use of treated sunflower seeds authorised in Greece, the outcome of the acute risk assessment from dust exposure has therefore been changed from “risk identified” to an “issue that could not be finalised”.

Kemi, the Swedish Chemicals Agency, has also advised EFSA that it mistakenly submitted data for two pesticides – Cruiser 600FS and Cruiser OSR – that are not authorised for use in Sweden. The references to these two products have been removed from the risk assessment.