The European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) has begun a review that could pave the way for rolling back the EU ban on three neonicotinoid pesticides, the Guardiannewspaper has reported.
The paper said a spokesman for the commission had said the review would not “necessarily lead to any changes in the law” but a formal announcement that the review is underway is due imminently.
“The restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids remain in place while this review is carried out,” the spokesperson told the Guardian. He said that, depending on the outcome, the commission may propose to modify the approval conditions of the three neonics.
Thiamethoxam, clothianidin and imidacloprid have been banned across the EU following a ruling that they were harmful to bees as a key pollinator. The pesticides are thought to affect sensory information in bees that relates to their ability to orientate themselves.
The review panel could choose to tighten, as well as soften, the current ban, the Guardian said, which saw conflict between environmental campaigners and agrochemical companies such as Bayer and Syngenta.
Greenpeace told the Guardian that the EU has a 'legal madate to protect bees', while Syngenta has argued that Efsa guidance demands a “stastically untenable demonstration of safety”.
Last year, a petition signed by nearly 100,000 people urged for a greater blanket ban of neocotinoids following the news that Defra would allow four counties to use neonic-treated seeds.
