The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Neonicotinoid threat to bees means ban likely
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has backed the European Commission policy on banning the use of neonicotinoid pesticides.
This clears the way for a firm proposal from the Commission to ban the outdoor use of these products across the EU to protect bee populations.
EFSA said it has based its conclusions on evidence from 700 separate global scientific studies.
It said this amount of evidence allowed for “detailed conclusions” and that while there were still some areas of scientific doubt, it was in a position to conclude the risk to bees had been confirmed.
European farm lobby organisations and groups representing pesticide manufactures have urged the Commission to recognise the doubts still remaining and to act in a way that protects bees without denying farmers all access to these products.
They have urged Brussels to recognise the potential impact on productivity.
EFSA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control have again warned that antimicrobial levels linked to farming are still too high in both animals and people.
They underline that the fast developing resistance to antibiotics in humans is the greatest health risk faced by people. Their report describes as “alarming” the levels of antimicrobials showing up in some pigs and poultry.
The European Commission acknowledges the scale of the problem and admits levels vary between member states.
Despite that, it has always steered away from naming and shaming and focusing action on those with the greatest problem.
In broad terms, “good” countries include the UK, France, Netherlands and Sweden, while “bad” countries include Belgium, Italy, Greece and Romania.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has been taking on the farming lobby.
This saw him booed and jeered at by farmers when he visited the Paris Agriculture Show.
Mr Macron has promised €5 billion of government support to agriculture to make the industry less intensive and less dependent on CAP subsidies.
In a message targeted at urban consumers, he is calling for more farm diversification and more organic farming.
He has confirmed that he wants tough action to limit and ultimately ban the use of many pesticides.
The reaction of farmers suggest his plans may ultimately be beaten by rural opposition in the country that remains the biggest beneficiary of CAP payments.