| PARIS, Feb 5 (Reuters) - French farm minister Jean Glavany
has extended for two years a suspension on the use of Bayer AG's pesticide
Gaucho on sunflower seeds, to allow more studies of its potential impact
on bees.
Honey makers allege Gaucho has damaged bee swarms by making plants
toxic. The bee population has dropped sharply in recent years, with
keepers reporting that many bees are becoming disoriented and unable to
return to their hives.
German chemicals and pharmaceuticals firm Bayer says that Gaucho leaves
a small residue in nectar and pollen, but not nearly in the quantities
required to have an impact on bees.
The company sells the product in 70 countries.
The agriculture ministry said in a statement that Glavany had decided
to extend the suspension on Gaucho, imposed in January 1999, in line with
the government's ``principle of precaution''.
The decision might be reversed if fresh and compelling evidence
emerged, it added.
The minister has asked a committee of independent experts to conduct a
full study on all possible causes of the problem known as ``mad bee
disease''.
``I now want us to tackle the problem head-on and for a detailed
appraisal to be conducted in all independence and all transparency on all
the possible causes of bee depopulation and the reduction of honeydew,''
the statement quoted him as saying.
Glavany has asked the ministry's Toxicology Commission to report as
soon as possible on the potential impact of Gaucho residue on soil. The
pesticide is also used by wheat, barley, maize and sugar beet growers to
protect against greenfly.
Gaucho is a so-called systemic pesticide, which is used to coat seeds
at the time of sowing and is then distributed in the plant via the sap.
Beekeepers quote studies showing that even after two years, plants
sowed on the same spot as a previous crop treated with Gaucho contained
traces of the product.
Bayer says that scientists must look at other causes for the bee
population decline and points out the problem has affected beekeepers
across the country, including many in regions where Gaucho is not used.
The National Union of French Beekeepers (UNAF) says national honey
production fell to around 25,000 tonnes in 1999 from 35,000 tonnes before
systemic pesticides were introduced in the early 1990s.
The number of hives has plummeted to one million from 1.45 million in
1996. |