The decision by European Union member states to back the European Commission’s proposal on further restricting the use of neonicotinoids disappointed Syngenta, but it wasn’t unexpected.
The company says that wasn’t the right decision for the future of agriculture or the environment in Europe. Syngenta says agriculture needs all the options it has to help farmers ensure that consumers have access to safe and affordable food. Farmers also have to be able to minimize the negative impact and amplify the positive effects agriculture has on the environment. Syngenta says the Commission relied on an unapproved regulatory document called the Bee Risk Guidance Document in making its decision. Syngenta says the decision to propose a further ban on neonicotinoids will not address the challenges we face in ensuring a safe and reliable food supply, while also taking care of the environment. They say the Bee Risk Guidance Document is so conservative and so far removed from the reality of modern agriculture that it would ban most, if not all, agricultural chemicals.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.