The causes of death are numerous, but beekeepers expect realizable measures
During the regular meeting of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural development, was presented a study on neonicotinoid insecticides, prepared by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Bulgarian MEP Mariya Gabriel (EPP / GERB) actively participated in the debate on the subject with the members of the committee and present data from the field study in Bulgaria in the summer of 2011 for the "For the bees and the people" campaign according to which 64% of deaths colonies are poisoned by pesticides. She stressed that the causes of death are numerous, but the expectations of beekeepers are for specific, achievable steps.
"The idea of the European Commission to ban insecticides is a step forward, because beekeepers should not be chased away from arable lands and should not be set against the other farmers - to set honey against grain, honey against corn, honey against canola. Neither the beekeepers, neither the other producers win from it", said Bulgarian MEP Mariya Gabriel.
She addressed several questions to EFSA, namely whether we can have the results from the countries that have imposed partial or complete bans, such as France, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, the three neonicotinoid - clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, whether they are public and what is the impact of the ban. On the next line Bulgarian MEP asked why the term proposed by the Commission is two years after traces of neonicotinoid can be found many years after this period. The third question that Mariya Gabriel addressed is whether the Commission provides an analysis after the proposed two years.
At the end of her statement, Bulgarian MEP urged to provide more data on which to base a decision.
We recall that in January the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) released a study that three widely used neonicotinoid insecticides type - clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam are a serious hazard to bees. Based on this study it is possible that European Commission will propose a two-year ban on the products.
