World's No. 1 pesticide brings honeybees to their knees, say scientists

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4. The European Union has been trying to ban them but is meeting resistance

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-22335520

29 April 2013

Fifteen countries voted in favour of a ban - not enough to form a qualified majority. According to EU rules the Commission will now have the option to impose a two-year restriction on neonicotinoids - and the UK cannot opt out.

The Commission says it wants the moratorium to begin no later than 1 December this year.

The UK did not support a ban - it argues that the science behind the proposal is inconclusive. It was among eight countries that voted against, while four abstained. . . .

Some restrictions are already in place for neonicotinoids in France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia.


http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/may/09/honeybees-dying-insecticide-harvard-study

9 May 2014

In April, a landmark European study revealed the UK is suffering one of the worst rates of honeybee colony deaths in Europe. "The UK government [which opposed the EU's neonicotinoid ban] has accepted the need for a national action plan to reverse bee and pollinator decline," said de Zylva. "But its draft plan is dangerously complacent on pesticides, placing far too much trust in chemical firms and flawed procedures."