Pesticide

Breaking the indiscriminate cycle of spraying fields with pesticides is the objective of a major 28-month research program involving the Agricultural University of Athens, the Hellenic Mediterranean University, the Hellenic Agricultural Organization, the Benaki Phytopathological Institute, the Aristotle University, the Democritus University of Thrace and the Foundation for Research & Techno

He confesses he finds it hard to keep up with regulations on which pesticides he can use, and which are banned as too harmful.

Cypriot farmers have descended in droves upon Nicosia this week to protest against a long-delayed EU pesticide ban, with tractor drivers taking part in the demonstration and warning 79% of arable land would be lost.

Despite a bloc-wide ban on toxic pesticides that wipe out pollinators, several European Union member-states, including Greece, continue to export more than 10,000 tons of "bee killer" a year, mainly to poorer countries, an investigation by Greenpeace and the Swiss NGO Public Eye has revealed.

Ongoing debris removal work in 11 earthquake-affected provinces has put food safety on the agenda, as experts warn that dumping building rubble on or near farmlands can cause unprecedented harm to not only food crops but also the environment.

"In 2 and a half years, Bulgaria has sent 660 notifications to the EU about dangerous foods. 85% of them are for imports of food from Turkey and as many pesticides. Bulgaria is one of the countries with the most signals, 1/3 of all in the Union. Turkey ranks second in the number of notifications for dangerous foods ".

The bloc's Chemical Agency had classified the fungicide as a carcinogen, meaning it causes cancer, and ruled it unsafe for use.

Three years later, in Kosovo, seven euros will buy a farmer enough Daconil for 10 litres of irrigation water, according to the findings of a BIRN investigation, even though the country removed it from its list of approved pesticides.

A plan for the protection of bats, but also of crops from harmful insects that threaten production is being prepared by the Organization for Natural Environment and Climate Change (OFYPEKA), a body supervised by the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

Hanging halfway up an ancient oak tree, peering into a small, dark hole in its enormous trunk abuzz with bees, Filipe Salbany can barely contain himself.

"Amazing - the queen's laying!" the 55-year-old shouts down, as he dangles around 15 meters (just under 50 feet) above the grounds of Blenheim Estate, secured by ropes and a harness.

Ljubljana – The Slovenian Beekeeper’s Association has urged the government to reject any EU proposal to lower protection standards for honey bees or other pollinators. The beekeepers fear this could happen as part of the EU’s revision of guidelines on risk assessment of pesticides.