The government proposed an exemption, on August 6, to allow beet growers to be able to use this insecticide, which has been banned since 2018. A decision badly perceived by 69% of French people, in particular because of the dangerousness of the product for bees. A new study reveals that shrimp and oysters are affected by neonicotinoids.
- The NGO Future Generations has launched, with 17 other NGOs, a petition to prevent this re-authorization planned for 2021.
- Without its use, expected yield losses vary between 40 and 50% in Île-de-France.
- Australian researchers from the National Center for Marine Science at Southern Cross University have revealed that besides pollinating insects, neonicotinoids can also affect oysters and shrimp.
The derogation is planned for 2021 but may not see the light of day. On August 6, the government proposed a derogation to beet growers to allow them to use neonicotinoids to fight against green aphids, vectors of jaundice. Very quickly, this decision caused a reaction and the NGO Future Generations launched, with 17 other NGOs, a petition to prevent this re-authorization planned for 2021. The reason: this insecticide is also a killer of bees, essential for biodiversity.
A matter of sovereignty
A survey, carried out by OpinionWay for the NGO Future Generations, reveals that nearly 7 out of 10 French people (69%) are opposed to the authorization of neonicotinoids for beet growers. “This is good news, the French have now known for a long time that these products are dangerous for bees in particular. It is for this reason that they have been prohibited by law.”, reacted François Veillerette, the president of the association, to the Parisian.
For farmers, this re-authorization is a necessity. Without its use, expected yield losses vary between 40 and 50% in Île-de-France. No viable alternative is planned for at least years, underlines the General Confederation of beet growers (CGB). “It is a question of food sovereignty. Four sugar factories have already closed last year. If we have to wait five years, there will be no factory”, announces Alexandre Pelé, vice-president of the CGB.
A study shows that shrimps and oysters are also affected
The debate remains intense between pro and anti neonicotinoids. Alexandre Pelé hopes that “realism will prevail over dogmatism”, he who highlights the help provided by the sugar industry in the production of hydroalcoholic gel. He adds that the roots of this sugar plant are uprooted before flowering, thus attracting fewer bees and that the sector could undertake not to sow “honey” plants for two years. “Very insufficientreplies François Veillerette. Neonicotinoids are not sprayed, they coat the seeds. However, these products are also sucked up by neighboring plants, weeds or crops in the adjoining field, which pollinators will gather.”
Australian researchers from the National Center for Marine Science at Southern Cross University have revealed that besides pollinating insects, neonicotinoids can also affect oysters and shrimp. This study, published on August 20 in the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safetythat imidacloprid, the active ingredient of the insecticide, is at the origin of a “unexpected contamination of aquatic systems worldwidethe researchers wrote. We show that exposure of shrimp to high concentrations of neonicotinoids can have a significant impact. If not well managed, these chemicals can affect the productivity and sustainability of farmed shrimp fisheries.”
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