Pesticides that have been banned in Europe over bee safety concerns may pose an even greater risk to pollinators than previously thought, a new report by the European Union’s food safety watchdog reveals.
Neonicotinoids, or neonics, pose high risks to bees when sprayed on plant leaves, according to data by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in its report, published Wednesday—which bolsters previous findings that neonics harm pollinators when used as seed treatments or granules.
The EFSA studied three pesticides in particular—clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam—all of which were banned by the EU in 2013 for a two-year period after scientific reports warned of their dangers. The latest findings, said Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director Marco Contiero, “confirmed what has already been demonstrated by a wealth of scientific evidence: neonicotinoids are a serious threat to bees and to the future of farming.”
“The Commission should expand the EU-wide ban to cover all uses of neonicotinoids on all crops,” Contiero said. “Viable non-chemical alternatives exist and the EU should encourage farmers to use them.”
José Tarazona, head of the EFSA’s pesticide unit, told the Guardian on Wednesday it is “clear that in some cases there is data suggesting high toxicity and potential risk from these substances.”
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