Agri-chemical companies Syngenta and Bayer CropScience have both praised the European Commission's decision not to ban several of the world's most widely used insecticides.
The EC had proposed a two-year suspension on the use of three neonicotinoids - supplied by Bayer CropScience, headquartered in Germany, and Syngenta, based in the UK - across the continent for two years from use on corn, oil seed rape, sunflowers and other flowering crops. It has been claimed that the insecticides cause damage to the heath and populations of millions of bees vital to the cross-pollination of European crops.
The case for a ban on the three nenicotinoids - clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiametoxam - was presented on Friday (15 March) to member states' experts on DG Sanco's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health / Pesticide residues.
But the future of the neoniocotinoids remains safe after countries such as the UK and Germany failed to lend their backing.
'Britain and Germany have caved in to the industry lobby and refused to ban bee-killing pesticides,' insisted Iain Keith, at campaign group Avaaz.
However, the decision has been met more positively by both Bayer and Syngenta.
John Atkin, Syngenta's COO, said: “We are pleased that EU Member States did not support the European Commission’s shamefully political proposal.
'Restricting the use of this vital crop protection technology will do nothing to help improve bee health.”
A Bayer spokesperson added: 'The EC has relied too heavily on the precautionary principle, without taking the principle of proportionality into account.'
Despite the decision, there is still hope that a ban could be upheld if the vote is successfully appealed. Last week's vote saw 13 nations in favour of the ban, five abstaining and nine opposing, meaning there was no clear majority for or against. The EC has confirmed it will decide whether to go to appeal, or revise the proposal, by the end of the week.
Bart Staes, a Belgian Green Party MEP, believes that the 'inconclusive vote' keeps alive hope for a ban on the three neonicotinoids and has blasted the likes of Bayer and Syngenta for 'misleading' European countries.
'The inconclusive outcome keeps hopes alive that the proposed neonicotinoid suspensions can be implemented soon.
'We call on all reluctant EU governments not to heed the misleading lobbying from the insecticide industry,' said Staes.
Last week, FPJ rightly reported that Defra environment secretary Owen Paterson would go on to vote against the suspension.
While Defra confirmed it had carried out 'extensive research' into the impact of neonicotinoids on bees, the results were not available before last Friday's vote.
'I have asked the EC to wait for the results of our field trials, rather than rushing into a decision,' said Paterson back in February.
