New EFSA report says the world's most commonly used insecticides harm bees

Jan 17, 2013 14:08 GMT  ·  By
Commonly used insecticides now blamed for negatively impacting on bee populations
   Commonly used insecticides now blamed for negatively impacting on bee populations

According to a new report made public by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Bayer and Sygenta insecticides, which also happen to be some of the most widely used by people working in the agricultural field, are negatively impacting on bee populations in the regions where they are used.

Since bees double as natural pollinators, it need not come as such a big surprise that neither environmentalists, nor those in the business of growing crops have been glad to hear that the neonicotinoid insecticides almost everybody uses stand to cause their population to decline.

“Given the importance of bees in the ecosystem and the food chain and given the multiple services they provide to humans, their protection is essential,” reads EFSA's press release on the matter at hand.

For the time being, there are some who claim that these insecticides should be banned altogether.

However, Bayer and Sygenta maintain that the EFSA's claims are exaggerated and that not allowing farmers to use them would cost the food production industry roughly $1 billion (€0.75 billion).