Sygenta, Bayer Put Forth Plan to Support Bee Health in Hopes of Avoiding a Ban on Pesticides

In an effort to forestall a European ban on their pesticides, manufacturers Syngenta and Bayer are putting forth a plan to support bee health.

This comes as multiple studies have been released showing a link between the companies' pesticides and poor bee health. 

Currently, the European Commission is threatening to install a moratorium if member states don't agree on a compromise.

The most outspoken group when it comes to banning the pesticides has been the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), a watchdog group established in 2002 after a series of food crises in the late 1990s. And currently, they appear to be winning the battle for the bees.

"The Commission will wait to see the proposals from the companies, but as things stand we believe the opinion from the EFSA provides sufficient evidence to proceed with the proposed measures," Commission health spokesman Frederic Vincent told Reuters.

The companies' plan centers around planting more flowering margins around fields in order to increase bee habitats - the lack thereof having been discussed a possible cause of the current decline in bee population.

Furthermore, the companies agree they would monitor to detect neonicotinoid pesticides, which are at the heart of the current bee controversy, as well as provide for more research into the impact of parasites and viruses and on the insect.

"This comprehensive plan will bring valuable insights into the area of bee health, whereas a ban on neonicontinoids would simply close the door to understanding the problem," Sygenta Chief Operating Officer John Atkins said in a statement.

A study funded by Sygenta and Bayer showed that a ban on treating seeds with neonicontinoids would cut EU net wheat exports by 16 percent and result in as much as a 58 percent increase in maize imports. The total cost to the EU, according to the researchers, falls around 4.5 billion euros each year.