Britain Opposes EU Pesticide Ban on Neonicotinoid Pesticides Blamed for Bee Deaths Around the World.
Extraordinary steps were taken by the British Government last night to head off a proposed EU ban on neonicotinoid pesticides, which have been widely blamed for bee deaths around the world.
The Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson, circulated a note to all 27 EU member states saying there was not enough evidence yet for a ban, which environmental campaigners have increasingly called for and is already supported by 13 EU countries. In a Brussels vote on a ban last Friday, in which the UK Government abstained, the necessary majority could not be reached and the issue remained deadlocked. The British abstention was widely criticised.