Germany suspends pesticide approvals after mass death of bees (BfDJ 88)

The German Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) has reportedly suspended the approval of eight pesticides after the mass death of bees in one State. The German Research Centre for Cultivated Plants reported that 29 out of 30 dead bees it examined in Germany's Baden-Wuerttemberg state had been killed by contact with clothianidin, a product found in one of the seed treatment products.

The suspended products are: Antarc (ingredient: imidacloprid; produced by Bayer), Chinook (imidacloprid; Bayer), Cruiser (thiamethoxam; Syngenta), Elado (clothianidin; Bayer), Faibel (imidacloprid; Bayer), Mesurol (methiocarb; Bayer) and Poncho (clothianidin; Bayer).

Beekeepers and agricultural officials in France, Italy, and the Netherlands all noticed similar phenomena in their fields when planting began a few weeks ago. The use of these pesticides has also affected the population of wild bees and other insects, prompting the ‘Coalition against Bayer-dangers’ to demand that the pesticide maker withdraw all neonicotinoids from the market worldwide. "We have been pointing out the risks of neonicotinoids such as imidacloprid and clothianidin for almost 10 years now,” Philipp Mimkes, spokesman for the ‘Coalition against Bayer-dangers’ said in a press release. He added that since Bayer has an annual turn-over of nearly €0.8 billion (US$1.25 billion), it makes imidacloprid and clothianidin its most important products. "This is the reason why Bayer, despite serious environmental damage, is fighting against any application prohibitions,” Mimkes added.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency's fact sheet, clothianidin, which is a non-selective poison, is highly toxic to honey bees. The chemical is often sprayed on corn fields during spring planting to create a protective film on cornfields.

Nidhi Sharma, www.allheadlinenews.com

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