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France National Assembly works towards 2018 neonicotinoid insecticides ban with exemptions
Jun. 29, 2016
All neonicotinoid insecticides, used in agriculture, are banned as a result of a vote held by the French National Assembly, since they are thought to kill bees. This will take effect as soon as September 2018, but with possible exemptions up until 2020, when the project for the law of Biodiversity will be read for the third time.
During the two hour long debate, 36 deputies approved the 2018 date against 31 against, who favored the 2020 date. The text still needs to make its rounds throughout the senate before its ultimate vote in July, which will be the final decision.
The amendment, which was proposed by reporter Geneviève Gaillard (PS), was voted by deputies to hold the principle that this law would come into effect the first of September 2018, like the parliament decided in the second reading. However, it is expected that there will be exemptions, most likely made by a joint stalling from the ministers of agriculture, the environment and health. The national agency of the security of health (Anses) will produce a risks and benefits analysis of neonicotinoids and the products or methods of how to substitute for them.
A petition of 600,000 signatures
The petition, gathering more than 600,000 signatures for demanding the ban of neonicotinoids, was delivered June 16th by NGOs to Ségolène Royal, who promised to put all her weight behind this battle, so the government was divided on this question between the ministers of Agriculture and of the Environment. Since the middle of the 1990s, each year 30% of bee colonies die. Before 1995, which was the year of the first appearance of neonicatinoids in the French market, the mortalities was close to only 5%.
Nicotinoids make up one part of a partial prohibition in Europe since the end of 2013: three products, (imidacloprid, clothianidin, and thiamethoxam) are banned from the majority of crops (sunflowers, corn, and canola), except on straw, and beets. There is time needed to find an alternative to nicotinoids that will shield seeds and protect grains against green aphids, which are weapons for plants and nuisances from their growth.
Source: Alimentation generale
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