Proposals leaked for total ban on key neonicotinoids
Recent research has found a number of serious harmful effects in bees exposed to neonicotinoids.
Proposals to introduce a total ban on three neonicotinoids in Europe have been leaked to the media.
The most widely used insecticides, imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam, could be banned from all fields across Europe under draft regulations by the European Commission.
Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe, which obtained the proposals and shared them with the Guardian, said the commission has presented the regulations to Member States and a first vote could take place in May this year.
If enough states approve the proposals they could come into force later in 2017, the Guardian says.
Neonicotinoids have been in use for more than 20 years and are associated with serious harm in bees. Recent research has found a number of harmful effects, including reduced lifespan and number of living sperm in male honey bees, large scale population declines and impaired learning abilities.
Use of the neonicotinoids on some crops was banned in the EU in 2013, but the draft regulations are proposing a complete ban on their use in fields, with an exception for plants grown entirely in greenhouses.
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
