Dutch Parliament votes to ban all neonicotinoid pesticide uses in the Netherlands

Dutch Parliament Votes to Ban all neonicotinoids, for ALL uses in the Netherlands
18th March 2014 Neonicotinoids are dangerous to bees and other pollinators and are a primary cause of the massive bee deaths . A majority of the Court today rallied behind motions of the Animal Welfare Party for a national ban on the use of this insecticide in agriculture and retail sales . Neonicotinoids are relatively new agricultural poisons which have a disastrous effect on bees. These insecticids are thousands of times more toxic than DDT . The Party for Animal Welfare has been campaigning for many years against the neonicotinoids . In early 2013 a parliamentary majority endorsed a motion of Esther Ouwehand for a partial European ban on the pesticides .  Due to this motion is the use of three types of neonicotinoids: imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam in all 27 countries of the EU is now restricted. However, the European ban on neonicotinoids only applies to selected crops which are attractive to bees; this means that most uses of the neonicotinoids on cereal crops for example, remains unchanged : as much as 80 % of crops which are treated with neonicotinoids in the Netherlands remain unaffected by the EU ban. Thus our country remains among the top three European countries with the highest use of pesticides in farming, and bee mortality is extremely high in Holland .  The Animal Welfare Party has therefore, urged the Secretary of State, Herr Dijksma to secure further restrictions in pesticide use. The Secretary of State refused, and wanted to leave the partial European ban just as it was, with neonicotinoids only being banned on 'bee attractive crops' like sunflowers, canola and maize. Today the Dutch Parliament forced Secretary of State Dijksma to take further action. A majority of political parties: PvdA , SP, GL , D66 , 50 + and Freedom Party, endorsed two motions of Esther Ouwehand, namely that ALL neonicotinoids should be banned in the Netherlands for all uses in agriculture, domestic gardens and landscape uses. The motion which was passed also demanded a complete ban on a related systemic pesticide, Fipronil.  This Parliamentary success is not only important for the survival of the bee and other pollinators; it is also of great importance for human public health. Scientists increasingly point out the dangers of neonicotinoids for people's health . The proposer of the Motion Esther Ouwehand said: 
"This is a major breakthrough in the fight against bee deaths. HWe have ave always stressed the public interest of maintaining a healthy agriculture and a diversity of wildlife. Hitherto the political lobbying of the Pesticide Industry have ensured that the actions of the European Union were but a drop in the ocean. 
Today, the House of Parliament has taken real action to protect Bees and human health" Pollination of crops by bees is essential for nNture and for our own food . Toxic pesticides such as neonicotinoids , threaten the survival of this vital link in our ecosystem . Besides the use of pesticides , bees are also threatened by the lack of sufficiently varied food-sources: their habitat of wild flowers has been destroyed ad there is less food is available for bees.  The Parliamentary Motion was proposed by Member of Parliament Esther Ouwehand with Gerard Schouw ( D66 ). A second motion demanding a new Eco-friendly roadside management policy was also supported and passed by a majority of the House today.   motions : - Motion Ouwehand others on the use of neonicotinoids - Motion Ouwehand a fully national moratorium - Motion Ouwehand / Schouw about ecological and by rien immoral nature and roadside management
 Motion Put to the Dutch parliment: Moratorium on the use of neonicotinoids   15-11-2012 The Chamber, heard the deliberations, noting that the relationship between the use of neonicotinoids on the one hand and the high mortality of bees and the occurrence of brain damage in children on the other hand cannot be excluded, calls on the Dutch Government to impose a moratorium on the use of all neonicotinoids, until it is established that neonicotinoids do not have a harmful effect on bees and human health, and proceeds to the order of the day. Ouwehand Van Gerven chimney   Status: Adopted 18.03.2014  For: PvdD, SP, PvdA, GL, D66, 50 +, PVV By: VVD, CU, CDA, SGP, Bontes