Watchdog: Pesticides a risk to bees

WILD bees and honeybees are put at risk by three pesticides from a group known as neonicotinoids, Europe’s food safety watchdog said on Wednesday, confirming previous concerns that prompted an EU-wide ban on use of the chemicals. The European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) report, which covered wild bees and honeybees and included a systematic review of scientific evidence published since Efsa’s 2013 evaluation, is seen as crucial to whether the European moratorium on neonicotinoid use remains in place.

The updated risk assessment found variations due to factors such as species of bee, exposure and specific pesticide, “but overall the risk to the three types of bees we have assessed is confirmed,” said Jose Tarazona, head of Efsa’s pesticides unit.

The European Union has since 2014 had a moratorium on use of neonicotinoids, made and sold by various companies including Bayer and Syngenta, after lab research pointed to potential risks for bees, which are crucial for pollinating crops.

EU nations will discuss a European Commission proposal to ban three neonicotinoids next month in the Plant Animal Food and Feed Standing Committee.

“This is strengthening the scientific basis for the Commission’s proposal to ban outdoor use of the three neonicotinoids,” a spokeswoman for the EU executive said.

Crop chemical companies have argued that realworld evidence is not there to blame a global plunge in bee numbers in recent years on neonicotinoid pesticides alone. They say it is a complex phenomenon caused by a number of factors.

The industry lobby said that while it allows that there may be a risk to bees, Efsa has overstated it.