MEP welcomes restrictions on pesticides in bid to protect bees and food supplies

Linda McAvan, MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, with one of the campaign posters.

Published on 04/02/2013 14:52

LINDA McAvan, Labour Member of European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber has welcomed the news today that the European Commission is asking EU governments to suspend the use of some pesticides, having discovered that an acute decline in bee numbers can be attributed to their use.

A decline in bee numbers could have significant implications for food supplies with a U.N. report published in 2011 estimating that the work of bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, beetles and birds, in pollinating fruit, vegetable and other crops was worth 153 billion Euros a year to the world economy.

Linda said; ‘The wellbeing of bees has a direct correlation with the amount of food, and the quality of the food that we grow. A significant reduction in the number of bees could result in shortages of certain foods and an increase in the price we pay for fruit and veg. I am glad to see that the Commission is taking this problem seriously and acting quickly to prevent any further decline in bee numbers.’

Neonicotinoid insecticides, made by Swiss and German companies, are among the most commonly-used crop pesticides on sunflower, rapeseed, maize and cotton. An investigation was carried out after bee keepers began reporting numbers of dead or disorientated bees in areas where the pesticides were being used.

France is one of four EU countries to have already put voluntary restrictions on pesticides in place. The Commission is hoping that the regulations will be adopted by all 27 governments before March, coming into effect in July this year.

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MEP welcomes restrictions on pesticides in bid to protect bees and food supplies

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