Special report
Europe’s wild bees are in a death spiral – and in the next few days the EU could make it much worse says “Stop Bayer-Monsanto”, an organisation and campaign to save bees from pesticides.
“The European Commission is proposing changes that would allow pesticide approvals to be granted indefinitely – with no mandatory safety reviews and no requirement to consider new scientific evidence on the harmful impacts of the chemicals in these products.”
If approved, Bayer’s toxic chemicals could stay in the market forever.
”Stop Bayer-Monsanto” is seeking donations to fund targeting the Commissioners and key officials before they finalise it – including legal research, an impact assessment, and an investigation into contacts between European Commission officials and the pesticide lobby.
“We’re ready to throw everything we can at this and defend the laws that protect nature and people. All we need now is your help to do it – can you chip in to save the bees?”
“Wild bees pollinate a third of our crops. Without them, we would lose apples, almonds, tomatoes, strawberries, and countless other foods we rely on. Their survival is our survival. And toxic pesticides are decimating whole populations of them. A new official report shows that in the last decade the number of wild bee species at risk of extinction has more than doubled.”
The Commission’s proposed changes would accelerate their deaths, eliminating the mandatory renewal process, scientific assessment, and safety reviews for some of the most dangerous chemicals that are in use across Europe. It would be the biggest rollback on pesticide protections the EU has ever seen and cause untold harm to pollinators, nature and our health.
Right now, the pesticide industry is working hard to rush this through before the public catches on. They have deep pockets and powerful connections, but we can still stop it – if we move fast.
Millions of us helped win a Europe-wide ban on bee-killing neonicotinoids and forced some of the world’s biggest pesticide companies to pull their products from the market. Now the threat is even more dangerous. Decades of progress could be wiped out overnight.
Footnote:-If you can donate e mail <us@eko.org>
Bees are the basis of any ecosystem with their pollination. Stupid European Commission!
It’s not just Europe. There’s few bees in my vegetable garden and nearby horticulture use sprays with wind drift common. NZ is as bad as Europe. Stupid!
It’s unbelievable that there is not deep, widespread concern at anything that would contribute to the further demise of bees.
Bees are the work horses of pollinatation .. without which, we would be in deep trouble.
“We” being not just humans.
We forget .. we are part of our planet’s ecosystems .. which are not meant to exist .. just for our indulgence.
They are not ours to destroy.
It’s critical to recognise that the drivers of wild bee decline in Europe - habitat loss, pesticide dependence, and lack of pollinator-friendly landscapes - are not just a European problem. In New Zealand, we too are losing wild pollinators through intensive land use, pesticide drift, and diminishing native forage. Healthy bee and insect populations are essential for our forests, māra kai and our unique ecosystems. We urgently need stronger protections for pollinator habitats, tighter controls on agricultural chemicals, and incentives for farmers and landowners to restore flower-rich corridors across rural and urban landscapes. Protecting pollinators here won’t happen by accident - it requires policy, investment, and community action before we see similar declines on our own shores.