Orders by the executive director of the Bulgarian Agency for Food Safety from the end of January 2016 authorize the use of two pesticides harmful to bees. The approved period for use of these pesticides is 120 days, despite the availability of scientific data that shows that the use of the chemicals may possess a serious risk for bees and other pollinators. [1">
The authorized pesticides belong to a class of chemicals known as neonicotinoids, an active substances of plant protection products made by the companies Syngenta Crop Protection AG (thiamethoxam) and Adam MIP (imidacloprid). Neonicotinoids are systemic insecticides. This means that when applied to the plant, they do not remain on the surface, but rather seep into the conducting tissues of the plant and spread over the whole organism. Insecticides that have been authorized for use on the territory of Bulgaria are used to cover the seeds. When treated in this way, upon germination of the seed and the growth of the new plant, neonicotinoid chemicals begin to spread around the stem and leave and may subsequently reach the pollen and nectar.
"Neonicotinoids act on the nervous system of bees and harm their skills for finding food, harming their development and make them more susceptible to diseases. Bees lose their ability to orientation, with the ultimate result of often not being able to go back to their hive. This can lead to collapse of the entire colony," said deputy Ilya Tsonev, Chairman of the Board of
Confederation of Bulgarian beekeepers.
In 2013, after a thorough scientific assessment of the Authority Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the vote of the Member States, the European Commission limited the use of three neonicotinoid pesticides, which pose "high acute risk" to honeybees. Extensive scientific data indicate that these substances cause serious harm to the bees. Bees and other pollinators play a key role in the production of our food. About a third of the crops used to feed the world depend directly on natural pollination by bees and other animals [2">.
Meglena Antonova, campaign coordinator for ecological agriculture of "Greenpeace" - Bulgaria, commented: "neonicotinoids pose a serious threat to bees and the future of agriculture. Such decisions render completely pointless the ban on the use of such chemicals in the first. They put at risk the production of our food, which is directly related to the condition of bees and other pollinators. Viable non-chemical alternatives exist, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food should encourage the farmers to use them. "
A recent report by "Greenpeace" outlines a range of effective opportunities to fight pests infestations without pesticides [3">. These include accompanying plants, carnivorous host plants and pheromones etc. The Bulgarian government should invest in developing, researching and promoting the use of non-chemical alternatives. This in its essence will be a true support of the transition to sustainable agriculture without pesticides.
[1"> Order RD 11-151 of 29.01.2016
Order RD 11-153 of 01.29.2016
[2"> Kremen C, and others. (2007) Pollination and other ecosystem services provided by mobile organisms: a conceptual framework for the effects of changes in land use, Ecology Letters, 10: 299-314; and
"Greenpeace" (2013) The decline of bees. An overview of factors that put pollinators and agriculture in Europe in danger, in April 2013
[3"> "Greenpeace" (2015) The bitter taste of apple production in Europe and how environmental solutions can flourish, June 2015
'Greenpeace' - Bulgaria: permission for the use of neonicotinoid pesticides exposes bees to a risk
