A sharp decline in the bee population in Europe is splitting the agricultural community, with some lobbying for a restriction of pesticides blamed for the bees’ demise — while the industry fights to ensure the pesticide market remains intact.
The controversy among EU countries over a link between pesticides and Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) went to a vote, with 15 member countries voting in favor of a ban. While not enough to cement an outlaw of the neonicotinoids pesticides at the center of the argument, it will lead to a two-year moratorium, beginning July 1.
The temporary ban will not apply to all crops, and instead will only be applied to crops that attract bees. Winter grain crops will also be exempt from the ban.
At the end of the moratorium, the issue would once again be investigated with a new body of evidence.
Over the last 10 years, the bee population throughout the globe — especially in North America and Europe — has dropped drastically. A study published by the United Nations indicates the scope of the problem — with estimates that out of the 100 crops that provide 90 percent of the world’s food, 71 percent are pollinated by bees.
While varying theories exist as to the decline, studies are pointing to the widespread use of neonicotinoids that serve as poison to bees, interrupting the natural pollination process necessary for the world’s crops.
When bees attempt to extract the pollen from the crop, they’re exposed to the heavy layer of insecticide, dooming them to the same fate intended for “pests” that damage crops.
The science behind the claims
The buzz over the alleged bee-killing pesticide isn’t confined to Europe. In the U.S., a group of beekeepers sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), accusing it of failing to restrict the use of the insecticide tied to a bee population that has declined by one-third every year since 2006.
In January, a report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) identifies risks to bees associated with the neonicotinoid insecticide, advising that the chemical not be used on crops that attract bees.
That report gave further evidence to what many throughout the EU already believed, and led to a petition of 3 million signatures collected in support of a ban, despite criticism from the industry and the U.K.
The companies that produce the pesticide include Syngenta and Bayer CropScience. U.S.-based Monsanto uses the chemical with some of its genetically modified seeds, including its widely dispersed corn seeds. It’s estimated the chemicals are used in more than 100 million acres of soy, cotton, wheat and corn throughout the world, according to a Reuters report.
Considering the blow to the industry government regulation would have, the companies have emerged as a fierce lobbying power against moves to ban its products.
“Any disproportionate action would jeopardize the competitiveness of European agriculture and finally lead to higher costs for food, feed, fiber and renewable raw materials and have an enormous economic impact throughout the whole food chain,” Bayer CropScience spokesp Utz Klages told the New York Times before the moratorium passed.
Monsanto has taken a pre-emptive step in the U.S., buying Beelogic, a biotech research company aimed at creating pesticides that would treat the impacts of pesticides on bees.
The American fight for the bees, crops
In late March, four beekeepers, along with the Center for Food Safety, the Center for Environmental Health, the Sierra Club and the Pesticide Action Network, sued the EPA for failing to ban two chemicals alleged to be at the root of the problem: clothianidin and thiamethoxam.
The main argument in the case accuses the EPA of violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act when it approved the two chemicals, despite the impact it has on the bee population.
“The EPA has continued to ignore the warning signs of an agricultural system in trouble,” Pesticide Action Network’s Paul Towers told Minnesota Public Radio. “The shortage of bees for this year’s almond pollination in California and the ripple effects throughout the rest of the agricultural system are a clear warning sign and deserve an urgent response.”
The EPA on the other hand, denies its approval of the pesticide harms the bee population, claiming instead that it has been vigilant in protecting the bee population.
“To date, we’re aware of no data demonstrating that an EPA-registered pesticide used according to the label instructions has caused CCD,” an EPA statement reads. “While our longstanding regulatory requirements for pesticides are designed to protect beneficial insects such as bees, since 2007 we have been looking at many different ways of possibly improving pollinator protection.”
The agricultural community is split on the issue in North America. A ban on the use of the pesticide would hurt farmers’ livelihood. Farmers believe they are protecting their right to carry out their planting operations, as the market makes it difficult to do so without the use of Monsanto’s corn.
“The National Corn Growers Association is closely monitoring the progress on this case,” the association’s Production and Stewardship Action Team Chair Dean Taylor said regarding the beekeepers’ lawsuit. “We are committed to working with industry partners to defend the use of valuable agricultural tools and ensure government regulations are based in sound sciences instead of alarmist claims.”