European Citizens' Initiative "Saving Bees and Farmers" with an open letter to the institutions for banning three toxic pesticides for bees
Bee populations in Europe are at risk due to the widespread use of pesticides in arable land. Their numbers are declining over time, with some species already extinct. The solution to this colossal environmental problem is the application of such agriculture, that can prosper without the use of toxic chemicals; of agriculture that preserves the valuable diversity of the natural environment, food and traditions of Europe.
The European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) ‘Save Bees and Farmers’ initiated the submission of official letter to the Ministers of Agriculture and Food and the Ministers of Environment and Water with a request to to support the ban on the use of sulfoxaflor, benfluralin and cypermethrin at the forthcoming meeting of the Standing Committee on Plant, Animal, Food and Feed on 19th/20th of May 2021. These three active substances cause the greatest damage to bee populations. The letter was supported by Bulgarian associations and organizations working on similar initiatives at local level. See the full text of the letter here: save_the_bees_open_letter.docx
What is the problem with pesticides and bees?
The European Commission openly acknowledges that pesticides are at the root of the decline in biodiversity. One of the objectives of the Commission’s Green Deal is to recover these losses and reduce the use of pesticides by 50% by 2030. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) also reaffirms the view that bees are subject of excessive risk due to pesticides. In a letter from 2nd of April 2021, EU Commissioner S. Kyriakides informed that despite the facts, many Member States oppose to ban the outdoor use of three active substances of Plant Protection Products (PPPs), which are dangerous to bees - sulfoxaflor, benfluralin and cypermethrin.
The Bee Guidence Document was published in 2013 to determine how pesticides should be assessed in terms of their toxicity to bees. However, it was not endorsed by Member States, fearing that ensuring the right level of protection for bees would ban many pesticides and therefore affect the interests of large agricultural businesses. In the same year risk managers from the EU countries estimated that the maximum mortality threshold from the effects of pesticides on worker bees in a bee colony was 7%. At present, the majority of the Member States accept that the percentage is twice as high, and some of them even consider it to be up to 25%. This is a clear contrary to EU Regulation (EU) № 1107/2009 on PPPs, according to which pesticides may only be approved if they do not adversely affect human health and the environment. Also, the consequences of such passive behavior of the Member States on the subject could lead to an ecocide.
More about the initiative
The European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) ‘Save Bees and Farmers’ brings together more than 200 organizations across the EU. It aims to collect over 1 million validated signatures from the citizens of EU in order to trigger a political and democratic discussion in the European Commission and the European Parliament about their requests, namely:
1. Eliminate the use of synthetic pesticides by 2035;
2. To restore biodiversity in rural areas;
3. To assist farmers in the transition to agri-environmental practices.
See more information about the European Citizens' Initiative "Save the Bees and Farmers" at: https://www.savebeesandfarmers.eu/eng
Join the initiative at: https://www.savebeesandfarmers.eu/eng/about-us/