A Win for the Bees: EU Votes to Ban Bee-Harming Pesticides

Common Dreams.org, By: Jacob Chamberlain, 04/29/2013

In a historic vote on Monday the European Union banned the use of bee-harming pesticides across the continent for a minimum of two years, garnering praise from environmental groups who have said that the population of the vital pollinators, along with the global food supply are in grave danger, due to the widespread use of the chemicals.

The vote is the first of its kind and suspends three of the world's most widely-used pesticides—known as neonicotinoids. However, critics have said the two year suspension is not enough, meaning bees are not safe until the chemicals are banned permanently. Though the vote did not reach the required majority under EU voting rules, the hung vote moves to the European commission (EC) who will implement the ban. "It's done," an EC source told the Guardian.

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