MEPs [Members of the European Parliament] have rejected an attempt by UK Conservative MEP Julie Girling to oppose a full ban on neonicotinoid pesticides.
Some 43 MEPs on the Environment Committee voted against the proposal by Girling, which was against plans by the European Commission to extend current restrictions on three neonicotinoid pesticides to all crops. Eight MEPs backed the motion, with 7 abstentions.
Girling wanted the European Parliament to pass a series of ‘objections’ to the Commission’s ban proposals, which she argues have not been supported by sufficient legal and scientific evidence.
Girling said the plan for a complete ban was “disproportionate” and warned it could lead to the increased use of other pesticides.
In March it was reported that draft regulations stated the Commission was likely to call for a ‘near complete ban’ of the pesticides from EU member states.
A partial ban on three neonicotinoids has been in place across the EU since 2013.
The MEPs did not have the power to prevent this from happening but a vote against the move could have put the Commission under pressure over the issue.
The neonicotinoids in question are: clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam on all outdoor crops.
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