A judge has ruled that the German branch of Friends of Earth (BUND) has a right to voice its concerns over the potential harm to bees from German chemical giant Bayer CropScience’s neonicotinoid pesticide thiacloprid.
The judge at the Dusseldorf Regional Court took the decision on Wednesday (March 11) to revoke the injunction previously imposed, in favour of Bayer, against the German environmental campaigners BUND.
Bayer said it regretted the decision and would wait for the written grounds of the judgment before considering potential further steps.
A Bayer spokesman said “Even though the court once again pointed out that the Bayer products had officially been classified as ‘not harmful for bees’ and were labelled as such in accordance with binding legal regulations, the court considered the allegations of BUND to be a free expression of opinion, which deserved special protection.”
Bayer had filed the injunction with the argument that the BUND publications on the Bayer Garden products ‘Calypso’ and ‘Lizetan Ornamental Plant Spray’ are incorrect.
It said the products have been thoroughly tested both by Bayer and by the state regulatory authority, the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) and as a consequence were classified as not harmful for bees.
Read full, original article: Bayer loses neonicotinoid legal case against German FoE
