Netherlands bans all neonicotinoids' all uses

On March 18th 2014, Dutch Parliament voted to ban all neonicotinoids, for all uses in the Netherlands. The motion which was passed also demanded a complete ban on a related systemic pesticide, Fipronil. 

“Neonicotinoids are dangerous to bees and other pollinators and are a primary cause of the massive bee deaths.” said the Animal Welfare Party of Netherlands. A majority of the Court rallied behind motions of the Animal Welfare Party for a national ban on the use of this insecticide in agriculture and retail sales.

The Party for Animal Welfare has been campaigning for many years against the neonicotinoids.In early 2013 a parliamentary majority endorsed a motion of Esther Ouwehand for a partial European ban on the pesticides.  Due to this motion is the use of three types of neonicotinoids: imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam in all 27 countries of the EU is now restricted. However, the European ban on neonicotinoids only applies to selected crops which are attractive to bees; this means that most uses of the neonicotinoids on cereal crops, remains unchanged : as much as 80 % of crops which are treated with neonicotinoids in the Netherlands remain unaffected by the EU ban. Thus Netherlands remains among the top three European countries with the highest use of pesticides in farming, and bee mortality is extremely high in Holland. 

The Animal Welfare Party has therefore, urged the Secretary of State, Herr Dijksma to secure further restrictions in pesticide use. The Secretary of State refused, and wanted to leave the partial European ban just as it was, with neonicotinoids only being banned on 'bee attractive crops' like sunflowers, canola and maize.

The Dutch Parliament forced Secretary of State Dijksma to take further action. A majority of political parties: PvdA , SP, GL , D66 , 50 + and Freedom Party, endorsed two motions of Esther Ouwehand, namely that ALL neonicotinoids should be banned in the Netherlands for all uses in agriculture, domestic gardens and landscape uses. The motion which was passed also demanded a complete ban on a related systemic pesticide, Fipronil.