Bee-harming pesticides sent from EU despite outdoor ban

Thousands of tonnes of pesticides that seriously harm bees are being exported from the EU despite a ban on their outdoor use within the bloc.

Data obtained by Unearthed, the investigative arm of Greenpeace, and Swiss NGO Public Eye shows that 3,900 tonnes of banned neonicotinoid pesticides were destined to leave the EU and UK for nations with weaker environmental regulations in the three months after the ban came into force in September 2020.

The insecticides, containing the active ingredients thiamethoxam, imidacloprid or clothianidin, were mostly destined for Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, Argentina, Iran, South Africa, Indonesia, Ghana, Mali and Singapore. Eight EU countries are likely to have exported since the ban – Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Austria, Denmark and Hungary – plus the UK.