New study on the impact of neonicotinoids
22.5.2015
Question for written answer E-008309-15
to the Commission
Rule 130
Miguel Viegas (GUE/NGL)
In 2013, the European Union put a two-year ban on the use of three of the new types of neonicotinoid on the market. The ban relates to seed dressing and covers crops that attract mainly pollinating insects like bees. The regulation makes provision for a reassessment to be conducted by December 2015.
Neonicotinoids are neurotoxins, that is, substances that affect the nervous system, and are used as pesticides in farming. Exposure to these products can have chronic or acute effects and is potentially fatal.
According to press reports, a team of thirteen experts brought together by the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC) has reviewed more than a hundred studies on neonicotinoids’ impact on the ecosystem, including on bees. The experts have concluded that there is an increasing body of evidence that the use of neonicotinoids, even in small doses, has severe negative effects on organisms. The scientists also warn that current use of these substances is in breach of the integrated pest management prescribed at European level, placing biodiversity at risk in extensive areas of farmland.
Is the Commission aware of this study? What conclusions does the Commission draw from the study’s findings, and what impact will they have on current legislation?