EU bans bee killer thiacloprid thanks to Party for the Animals
After ten years of fighting, Europe finally bans thiacloprid, an agricultural poison that is dangerous to bees and is associated with cancer. The poison also has negative effects on groundwater. The Party for the Animals has been requesting a ban since 2010. Member of the House of Representatives Esther Ouwehand has asked questions about thiacloprid several times and successfully gathered support in the Dutch lower house for a proposal to get the poison off the market. Party for the Animals MEP Anja Hazekamp received a majority from the European Parliament last year for a motion that called for an EU-wide ban on the bee killer.
MEP Anja Hazekamp (Party for the Animals) with colleagues from German and Portuguese sister parties, Martin Buschmann and Francisco Guerreiro.
"Better late than never", says Anja Hazekamp in response to the banning of thiacloprid. "For more than ten years there have been indications that thiacloprid is very harmful to bees and other pollinators. By keeping the poison on the market all the time, Brussels has taken unacceptable risks, while in fact it has been clear all along how dangerous thiacloprid is."
According to Hazekamp, it is 'encouraging' that the new European Commissioner for Public Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, banned thiacloprid soon after taking office. "A good start is half the battle. Let us hope that this new commissioner will consistently put the health of people, animals, and the environment first and also remove other controversial poisons from the market in the short term", said Hazekamp.