Eco Ruralis, Romapis and WWF Romania organisations request the withdrawal of the authorisations issued by the Ministry of Agriculture for the treatment of corn, sunflower and sugar beet seeds with neonicotinoids and the compliance with the decision of the European Court of Justice, which decided on January 19, 2023, that these exemptions are illegal, according to Agerpres.
„If the derogation is not cancelled, we want to inform beekeepers and citizens that sugar beet will be treated with clothianidin and thiamethoxam and will be sown in the counties of Alba, Bacau, Botosani, Brasov, Braila, Cluj, Covasna, Galati, Harghita, Iasi, Mures, Neamt, Sibiu, Suceava, Vaslui, between March 1 and May 30. Also, the corn and sunflower treatments, with imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, began on January 23 and will be cultivated throughout the country, „on strongly affected areas,” according to the text of the exemption. We mention that imidacloprid can „benefit” from exemptions during the year for autumn crops (grassy cereals), for example, based on the same reasoning that has become standard and also at the request of growers on large areas, in this case, corn growers. So, for a long period of the year, people and the environment are exposed to the risks associated with this substance, to which are added the many other types of chemical pesticides that are still used punctually, on the farming/seeds and smaller or larger areas,” WWF Romania representatives maintain in a press release sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday.
They mention that the Ministry of Agriculture has again issued a series of „emergency” authorisations to allow the treatment of corn, sunflower and sugar beet seeds again this year with extremely toxic chemicals for bees, the environment and humans, the decision being made before Christmas without consulting the affected parties (beekeepers, civil society), at the request and for the benefit of five large farmers’ organisations.
According to the cited source, these substances (neonicotinoids) have been banned in the European Union since 2018, and the European Court of Justice decided on January 19 this year that these authorisations (exemptions) are illegal and EU Member States are not allowed to approve the use of seeds treated with neonicotinoids.
The BeeActive project is run by WWF Romania in partnership with the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) with the financial support of Active Citizens Fund Romania, a programme financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021. The aim of the project is to mobilise citizens for the conservation of bees and other pollinators in Romania.
Agerpres
