French honey makers in a buzz over pesticides

By Joelle Diderich

PARIS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - French honey makers on Tuesday demanded a ban on
pesticides which they alleged were decimating the local bee population by
making plants so toxic that even the slightest contact could damage the
insects' nervous system.

Beekeepers want the Farm Ministry to outlaw so-called systemic pesticides,
which are used to coat seeds at the time of sowing and are then spread via
the sap into the plant, they said in a joint statement.

They say that contact with large doses of the pesticides, used by wheat,
barley, maize and sugar beet growers to protect against greenflies, causes
bees to become disoriented and, unable to return to their hives, die.

"It's enough for the insect to alight on the plant to receive a dose of
neurotoxicity," said Maurice Mary, vice-president of the National Union of
French Beekeepers (UNAF). "All the auxiliary fauna is decimated."

The Farm Ministry, responding to concerns about so-called "mad bee disease,"
in January 1999 suspended use of chemical giant Bayer AG's pesticide Gaucho
on sunseeds as a precautionary measure.

But beekeepers said the measure was insufficient, as studies found that
Gaucho left a residue which meant that even after two years, plants sowed on
the same spot as the crop originally treated contained traces of the product.

Honey makers planned to stage a protest on October 25 in front of Bayer's
plant in the central French town of Cormery to demand that systemic
pesticides -- including Gaucho and rival Aventis's Regent -- be banned for
use on all crops.

BAYER DENIES LINK A spokesman for Bayer said that its studies confirmed that
Gaucho left a small residue in nectar and pollen, but there was no evidence
of a link with the drop in France's bee population.

"It is impossible to have zero residue," said Gerard Eyries, marketing
manager for Bayer's agricultural division in France. "What is important is to
know whether the very feeble quantities which have been found have a negative
effect on bees."

The product was sold in 70 countries with no reported side-effects on bees,
he added.

Eyries said Bayer had submitted its findings to the Farm Ministry's
Toxicology Commission, which was due to rule in the next few months whether
to lift the temporary ban on Gaucho use for sunseed crops.

Its recommendation will be passed to Farm Minister Jean Glavany, who has
final say in the matter. Farm Ministry officials were not immediately
available to comment on the case. The Bayer spokesman called for a broad
study to determine the cause of disorientation in bees, which has affected
mainly three departments in central and eastern France: Indre, Vendee and
Deux-Sevres.

"There are many regions where Gaucho is not used and where there are
beekeepers, and where beekeepers have considerable problems of declining
honey production," he said, adding that acarids could also be to blame for
the problem.

According to UNAF, French 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.