Canada halts total ban on pesticides that kill bees

Canada announced restrictions on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in agriculture on Wednesday to protect aquatic insects, but backed away from a proposed blanket ban that came after large numbers of bees died.

In 2018, Health Canada proposed to eliminate the use of clothianidine and thiamethoxam, two of the three neonicotinoid pesticides that are widely applied to crops in this country.

But after reassessing scientific information, including new water monitoring data and 47,000 public reports, the agency said in a statement that it had found that “some uses do not pose a risk to water insects, while other uses pose a risk to water insects. “.

Pesticide manufacturers will have two years to adapt to the new regulations, which include lower rates and the number of applications, as well as spray stores.

The regulations apply to a variety of fruit and vegetable crops such as onions, lettuce, berries, potatoes, corn and soybeans.

The neonicotinoid, a pesticide derived from nicotine, is absorbed by plants and attributed to the decline of bee colonies around the world. They are also suspected of altering the nervous system and the ability of insects to fly.