The European Union is banning all outdoor use of pesticides that harm bees, with the new restrictions going beyond those put in place in 2013. Member States approved the latest move in a vote on Friday.
Today’s measures place a total ban on three substances (imidacloprid, clothianidin, and thiamethoxam) known as neonicotinoids, which scientific studies have shown harm bees when used outdoors. In a statement, the European Commission stated that those substances will only be allowed to be used in permanent greenhouses where contact with bees is not expected.