Farmers warn of problems as EU bans bee-killing pesticides

A NEAR-TOTAL ban on pesticides linked to declines in bees is set to come into force across Europe by the end of the year in a move hailed as a “beacon of hope” for the insects.

European Union member states have decided on a ban on the outdoor use of “neonicotinoid” pesticides after an assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) confirmed in February the risk they posed to bees.

The move has been welcomed by environmental campaigners, who have warned the pesticides are contributing to falling populations of bees, but farmers said the Government must work with them to mitigate the impacts of the ban. Use of three pesticides was already restricted in the European Union on crops such as oilseed rape, because of concerns that they have “sublethal” effects such as harming the bees’ ability to forage and form colonies.

But they could still be used on sugar beet, various horticultural crops and as seed treatments for winter cereals.

Member states have now endorsed plans by the European Commission to completely ban the outdoor use of the three active substances, meaning they can only be used in greenhouses.

European Commission officials hope the ban will come into force by the end of the year. Antonia Staats, senior campaigner at Avaaz, which led a petition backed by five million signatures to ban the chemicals, said: “Banning these toxic pesticides is a beacon of hope for bees.”

But responding to the news, Guy Smith, deputy president of the National Farmers’ Union, warned that without the pesticides, many crops grown in the UK would become less viable and could lead to increased imports of food.

Emi Murphy, bee campaigner at Friends of the Earth, called on Environment Secretary Michael Gove to give farmers the support they need to grow food without bee-harming pesticides.