We Have Won !!! Germany votes for a ban on Neonicotinoids!

Berlin - In the debate over the protection of bees, Germany has indicated its willingness to support a partial ban of certain pesticide, before the crucial EU vote takes place on Monday April 29th.

"The federal government will agree to the neonicotinoids ban when voting on Monday in Brussels," said the spokesman of German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner (CSU).

The prerequisite for this is mainly "a clarification from the EU Commission that Germany, in the areas that go well beyond the European standard of protection, can retain a higher level of protection for bees."

The European Commission wants to ban the use of three neonicotinoids pesticides manufactured by the German company Bayer and other manufacturers like Syngenta, for the cultivation of corn, sunflower, canola, and cotton for two years, since these chemicals are suspected of causing bee deaths.

For the duration of the ban, the use of these pesticides for winter crops and plants that attract bees will not be allowed. The earlier vote of the EU Council of Ministers in March, produced a stalemate, partly because Germany abstained during that vote. The decisive vote for the EU will take place at the Appeals Committee on Monday April 29th.

German Agriculture Minister Aigner's spokesman explained that Germany abstained in March so that the current proposal of the European Commission could reassure the Federal Government "that it would not interfere with the existing high level of protection for bees in Germany". Germany had already significantly restricted the use of these controversial pesticides, called neonicotinoids, in 2009. These higher national standards, used in Germany, will not now be lowered as a result of EU legislation, and was guaranteed by the EU Commission.

Environmental organizations had expressed grave concern that Germany could block the EU proposal to ban the pesticides under pressure from the agricultural industry.

"The accusation that Germany would block the protection of bees, is completely absurd and baseless," replied Aigner's spokesman.
Source; original article written in German