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EU member states have voted in favor of banning the outdoor use of certain insecticides.<\/p>\nEU member states have voted in favor of banning the outdoor use of certain insecticides.<\/p>\n
A majority of represntatives voted at the Standing Committee for Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCOPAFF) to ban imidacloprid, clothianadin and thiamethoxam, Mairead McGuinness MEP has confirmed.<\/p>\n
“Since 2013, there has been a moratorium on the use of three neonics – imidacloprid, clothianadin and thiamethoxam – on flowering plants that are attractive to bees such as maize and oilseed rape,” she said.<\/p>\n
These neonicotinoids are currently used as seed dressings on winter cereals in Ireland.<\/p>\n
“A study published by the European Food Safety Authority said that these neonicotinoids represent a risk to wild pollinators and honey bees. These finding have led to today’s vote.<\/p>\n
“The Commission asked member states to vote to extend the ban to all outdoor production crops including non-bee attractive crops such as winter cereals, fodder beet and sugar beet.<\/p>\n
“This will pose a challenge to cereal growers who depend on treated seed to prevent and control diseases and pests and will require that alternative tools are found for growers.”<\/p>\n
The Commission will propose legislation to restrict the use of these three insecticides to controlled conditions inside greenhouses.<\/p>\n