Member States Remain Divided On Commission Proposal For Two-Year Ban On Neonicotinoids

On 14 March 2013 the European Commission submitted a proposal to ban 3 neonicotinoid insecticides (clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiametoxam) to the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health.

The Commission's proposal is a response to EFSA's risk assessments regarding the impact of neonicotinoids on bee health, which were reported on 16 January 2013. These reports concluded that a "high risk was indicated or could not be excluded (...) for some of the authorised uses (and that) for some exposure routes it was possible to identify a low risk for some of the authorised uses." It was also reported that in some cases EFSA was unable to finalise the assessments due to data gaps (see our February 2013 Bulletin contribution on this).

In essence, the Commission proposed to amend the conditions of approval of the 3 neonicotinoids to:

restrict their use to crops that aren't attractive to bees and to winter cereals; prohibit the sale and use of seeds treated with plant protection products containing clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiametoxam as active substances as from 1 July 2013; and review these restrictions after 2 years. However, the draft measure failed to achieve a qualified majority: 13 Member States supported the proposal, with 9 opposed and 5 abstentions.

At a subsequent meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on neonicotinoids and bee health that took place on 18-19 March 2013, some Member States considered that further scientific advice should be sought before taking action. In particular, the UK informed the Council that new field data will soon become available to EFSA for assessment. Other Member States expressed support for the Commission proposal for immediate action. The Commission reported that it is considering further amendments to the proposed ban to generate wider support among Member States.

According to the European Crop Producers Association, the measures proposed by the Commission would impact on crop...