Syngenta Chief Slams EU Pesticide Ban

Syngenta Chief Executive Michael Mack spoke strongly against a European ban on certain pesticides on Thursday, which the European Union says could harm the health of bee populations.

In an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr. Mack said Syngenta would "do everything we can" to get the decision reversed. He called the ban—which was driven last year by countries including France, Germany and the Netherlands—"political in its intent."

The countries are concerned that certain types of pesticides, known as neonicotinoids, are affecting bee populations and are therefore harming agriculture and European food supplies. In an earlier study, the European Food Safety Authority said the chemicals pose an "acute risk" to honeybees.

Mr. Mack said the ban was a "misuse of science," and that data taken in the field refuted the conclusions of the food authority.