News Crop protection
Important insecticide thiacloprid falls off
During the SCoPAFF consultation on October 22, the European member states agreed to the ban on thiacloprid, an insecticide. This active substance is produced by Bayer and used, among other things, in the products Calypso and Biscaya 240 OD.
A petition previously called for a ban in the European Union, and food watchdog EFSA was also negative about the renewal of the license, which expires at the beginning of 2020. EFSA is concerned that the drug is carcinogenic, disrupts fertility and harms bees and other pollinators.
Majority for ban
During the consultations, the majority was in favor of a ban. Julia Klöckner, the German Minister of Agriculture, spoke out last year about a ban, which her Dutch colleague Carola Schouten also supported. Thiacloprid has been banned in France since last year. In addition to this license renewal of this insecticide, other means were also discussed. Mancozeb, which is important for Dutch farmers, has an extension of 1 year, because the assessment has not yet been completed. The fungicide license expires on January 31, 2020. This drug is also under heavy fire.
Greenpeace says to be satisfied that thiacloprid is banned. However, it would prefer to see a ban on all insecticides and substances that are dangerous for insects. For Dutch farmers it means a great loss. Calypso is used, among other things, as a louse control agent in seed potato cultivation, but also against Colorado potato beetles. Since this spring, with the lack of the neonicotinoids seed coating in sugar beets, Calypso has been used against the (peach) aphid. It is precisely because of this sudden peak that EFSA has given a negative opinion about an extension. Calypso was allowed in many small crops. According to Bayer, this concerns 500 individual applications. They are now all lost.
It is not known whether farmers can still use the drug Calypso and Biscaya in 2020 (or 2021). Details on the sale date and usage term will be published at the end of November. As an alternative to Calypso, for example, Gazelle (acetamiprid) or Closer (sulfoxaflor) can be used.
Are drugs harmful?
A salient detail is that the news comes almost simultaneously with this article of the WUR. For years, crop protection products have been identified as the major culprit for the winter mortality among bees. However, new insights from bee researchers show that the role of neonics, among others, is heavily overestimated. So say scientists and bee experts Bram Cornelissen and Tjeerd Blacquière.
"Residues of chemical crop protection products are found in an average of 30% of the examined bee colonies," says Cornelissen in a recent publication of the WUR magazine Resource. "In 12% of the cases, neonicotinoids are involved. The relationship with winter mortality is not demonstrable. The 3 most important neonics have been banned to a limited extent since 2013 and completely since 2018. The study shows no effect. There are plenty of studies that show an effect. show on bees, but not associated with winter mortality."
Colleague Blacquière agrees: "The role of neonics has always been exaggerated. The discussion has been going on for years. Many beekeepers have never suffered from winter mortality. It is a matter of careful beekeeping." The Varroa mite is the main cause of winter deaths, according to scientists. The fact that crop protection products came into the picture is the result of various TV broadcasts and the political interest that followed. Since 2012, winter mortality has more than halved. Experts look for the reasons for this in various factors. This is even more difficult to determine in wild peoples. WUR is now working on species that are more resistant to varroa.
Rapeseed shortage
The insecticide ban has another important side effect on bees. Since 2013, it has been prohibited to use neonics in the cultivation of rapeseed. It is this 'yellow gold' that is very important to bees. Due to the many crop failures, it plummeted rapeseed area in Europe to its lowest level in 13 years. Cultivation has become too uncertain for arable farmers, so that the beekeepers can no longer find plots. Instead of being self-sufficient, the European Union now imports large quantities of the oilseed. The United Kingdom, where production took the biggest hit, will import an estimated 515.000 tons in 2020. Most of this will come from Ukraine, or other non-EU member states, where neonics are still allowed. The UK agricultural sector is there fierce about.
Niels van der Boom
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