EU Votes for Ban on Bee Venom. Three commonly used pesticides that are harmful to bumblebees, wild bees and honeybees are banned in the European Union. The 28 Member States agreed on this in Brussels.
The Netherlands voted for the ban on the use of these so-called neonicotinoids in agriculture. It concerns the means imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam, for which restrictions have been applied since 2013. Use in greenhouses remains permitted, as the Netherlands would like. The outdoor ban will take effect at the end of the year.
“No green nature without bees,” says the expert.
Bees are indispensable for the pollination of crops and these substances pose a danger to biodiversity, said Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture) earlier in the House of Representatives.
Greenpeace had already asked the Member States to proceed to a ban on preventing a ‘catastrophic decline in the bee population’. Large countries such as Germany, France and England have already spoken out for a ban.
The environmental organisation responded with satisfaction. “Thanks in part to the thoroughness of Minister Schouten and the massive support of civilians, today a great victory for our bees and other pollinators have been achieved.” To prevent one evil being replaced by another, it is necessary to use all neonicotinoids. Banned and the use of pesticides is restricted so that the transition to ecological farming can become a reality, “says a spokesman.