French parliament votes for outright ban on neonicotinoid use

29 March 2016 14:49:23|Animal Health,Arable,Crops,News,Products The lower house of the French parliament, the French National Assembly, has narrowly passed a proposal for an outright ban on neonicotinoids as of September 1 2018.Currently in draft form, the bill will go back to the French Senate for further debate and discourse, before the Assembly takes a final vote on the matter.In a Government statement, France said the ban was ‘a responsible solution that provides the necessary time to assess alternatives’, in terms of their health and environment impacts, particularly on bees, of which effects are well-known.Stéphane Le Foll, the French agricultural minister, said he would call on the executive power of the EU to ensure these restrictions applied to the whole of the EU.The EU limited the use of neonicotinoid chemicals two years ago after research pointed to risks for bees, which play a crucial role pollinating crops.Crop chemical makers say the research blaming neonicotinoid pesticides is not backed up by field evidence and a global plunge in bee numbers in recent years is a complex phenomenon due to multiple factors.Farmer groups, meanwhile, say no viable alternatives exist and a full ban would put France at a disadvantage to other crop producing countries in the EU. Download No comments posted yet. Be the first to post a comment Australia | 29 March 2016 Chinese bidder for Australian cattle empire defends investment in foreign farmland A Chinese company wanting to buy Australia's largest agricultural landholding says Australians have much to gain from foreign investment, and that the company's track record in New Zealand proves it. ... USA | 29 March 2016 Why Americans are eating a lot more beef for dinner For all the carnivores out there, here’s some encouraging news: Beef and other red meat products are more popular again. After years of turning to healthier options such as chicken and turkey, Amer... New Zealand | 29 March 2016 Dairy farmers becoming more 'hands on' as finances tighten Dairy farms are restructuring their workforces and some Southland farm owners are heading back into the milking sheds themselves as the dairy downturn continues to bite. Federated Farmers Southland... China | 29 March 2016 China subsidies costing U.S. wheat farmers $653 million a year U.S. cotton producers are facing some of their lowest prices in decades, primarily due to the subsidy policies of the People’s Republic of China, which have created a surplus of more than 50 million b... China | 29 March 2016 China's milk stockpile leaves New Zealand dairy farmers struggling China once helped drive global dairy demand but its stockpiling of powdered milk sent prices plunging and has left farmers in the world's top milk exporter, New Zealand, struggling to stay afloat and ... See more Viewed Discussed Top stories you may have missed