The EU Court Upholds Partial Ban On Pesticides Threatening Bees

EU court upheld a partial ban on three insecticides known as neonicotinoids. The General Court of the EU said that the European Commission had been right to restrict their use in order to protect bees and other insects.

Three active substances are covered by the rule - imidacloprid developed by Bayer CropScience, clothianidin developed by Takeda Chemical Industries and Bayer CropScience, as well as Syngenta’s thiamethoxam.

The majority of EU countries backed the proposal to ban all use of neonicotinoids outdoors, limiting their use to crops in greenhouses.

Greenpeace, Franziska Achterberg said:

The ruling sets the EU’s priorities straight — its primary duty is to protect people and nature, not company profit margins. It’s an indictment against corporate bullying that should spur the commission to act on other dangerous pesticides without fear of being challenged in court.

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