Imagine a world without bees and bugs, the tiny creatures behind our food production and the very functioning of our ecosystems. This alarming future was at the heart of the "Bees & Bugs" conference, a critical gathering recently held at the European Parliament. Co-oganised by the NGOs PAN Europe and Pollinis and hosted by the MEPs César Luena (S&D) and Sebastian Everding (The Left), this event brought together leading scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders to confront Europe's urgent biodiversity crisis: the alarming decline of bees and other vital arthropods, and the woefully inadequate protection against pesticide impacts across the EU.
The conference served as a vital platform to discuss the ecological and economic importance of these crucial species, identify the profound role pesticides play in their collapse, and pinpoint critical shortcomings in the existing pesticide regulatory framework. Experts converged to demand improvements in the environmental risk assessment of pesticides in the EU, stressing that without immediate action, the deepening of the biodiversity crisis and its severe economic consequences are unavoidable.
The day's discussions, expertly moderated by Karl Falkenberg, former head of DG Environment (2009-2015), kicked off with powerful introductory words from the hosting MEPs. Both MEP Luena and MEP Everding underscored the overwhelming scientific evidence of a catastrophic insect collapse in terms of both diversity and sheer numbers, unequivocally pointing to pesticides as a key driver of this decline. They stressed that without drastically improving pesticide risk assessment and taking decisive action to reduce pesticide use, Europe cannot hope to avert a deepening biodiversity crisis and its severe economic consequences. MEP César Luena went further, issuing a passionate call for a robust new legislative proposal to reduce the use of pesticides, after the rejection of the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Regulation (SUR) by the Parliament in 2024. Both MEPs underscored the critical need for robust and up-to-date guidance documents to ensure that pesticides that harm these vital species are neither approved nor remain on the market due to inadequate testing and outdated protection standards.
Key takeaways from speaker presentations
The conference featured insightful presentations from leading experts, stakeholders and the European Food Safety Authority:
Dr. Alexandre Barraud, Research Manager at Pollinis:
Dr. Barraud, an ecotoxicologist specialising in the effects of pesticides on wild bees, highlighted that while pesticides are a major stressor, they interact synergistically with other factors like diet, pathogens, heatwaves, and habitat fragmentation. For instance, high temperatures combined with pesticide exposure can reduce bee longevity and resistance. Similarly, lower flower density combined with pesticides can significantly reduce wild bee reproduction. He underscored that current knowledge is largely based on honeybees, emphasising the urgent need to expand research to wild bee species, study interspecific differences, and develop new models and protocols to implement unexplored parameters in risk assessment. He concluded that the current risk assessment underestimates the comprehensive threat pesticides pose to wild bee populations.
Prof. Mark J.F. Brown (Coordinator, PoshBee research project) & Dr. Jessica Knapp (Lead author, PoshBee study):
Their work from the EU-funded PoshBee project (2018-2023) focused on developing tools to mitigate risks to bees in agricultural landscapes. They emphasised the enormous economic impact of pollinators, with approximately €50 billion of agricultural output in the EU depending on them. Their study, using sentinel colonies of honeybees, bumblebees, and solitary bees across Europe, found that bumblebee colonies are exposed to multiple pesticides (averaging eight, up to 27 in one sample). They stressed that merely counting pesticides isn't enough; risk assessment must consider both the number and toxicity of pesticides. Their findings showed that higher pesticide risk stunts bumblebee colony growth, but semi-natural habitats can positively influence growth, underscoring the importance of such habitats in agricultural landscapes and linking to the Nature Restoration Regulation. They concluded that with data from 316 bumblebee colonies, it is now possible to establish science-based protection goals for these species. They highlighted that currently, 60% of colonies exceed specific protection goals, indicating a failure to protect vulnerable species. Long-term monitoring and responsive regulatory frameworks are crucial.
Dr. Noa Simon Delso, Scientific Director & Project Manager, BeeLife:
Dr. Simon Delso highlighted the frustratingly slow progress in revising and implementing effective pesticide regulations within the EU. She recounted the blockage around the adoption of the 2013 Bee Guidance Document, which, despite being scientifically sound and necessary for robust risk assessment, has been consistently blocked from proper implementation by decision-makers for 17 years, leaving bees vulnerable.
Constantin Dobrescu, Vice-president of Romapis
Mr. Dobrescu detailed the persistent abuse of neonicotinoid derogations in Romania, despite the EU-wide ban in 2018 due to their harmful effects on pollinators. He presented data showing that a tiny minority of large farms (0.5% managing 47.8% of arable land) pressure the Ministry of Agriculture for these derogations, while the vast majority of small and medium-sized farmers, including beekeepers, are opposed. Surveys indicate strong public opposition in Romania to the unsustainable use of pesticides and neonicotinoid derogations. He concluded that these derogations violate EU legislation, are undemocratic, devastate nature, and are hazardous to the population, urging the EU not to tolerate such non-compliance.
Prof. Dave Goulson, Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex:
Prof. Goulson underscored the fundamental importance of insects, which constitute the majority of species on the planet and form the base of the food chain. He presented alarming evidence of insect decline, including a 76% fall in insect biomass in Germany from 1990 to 2015, a trend widespread across Europe and North America, declining at 1-2% per year. He noted that this decline often goes unnoticed by the public but has profound implications for ecosystem services like crop pest control, nutrient recycling, and especially pollination. Without pollinators, 75% of crops would not yield a full harvest. He emphasised that insects are now exposed to pesticides on a massive scale, with studies showing widespread contamination and harmful "cocktail effects" (multiple pesticides being more damaging than one). He stressed that current regulations fail to account for these complex interactions, though reducing any single stressor can help insects cope better.
Mr. Tobin Robinson, Head of Risk Assessment Production Department, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA):
Mr. Robinson discussed EFSA's efforts to update its guidance documents, noting that they are still using documents from 2002 while science has significantly advanced. He mentioned the 2023 updated Bee Guidance Document, which attempts to address the complexity of assessing risks from multiple application methods, exposure routes, and scenarios across various bee groups, including sublethal effects and pesticide mixtures. EFSA is also developing guidance for non-target arthropods, soil microorganisms, and non-target plants, aiming for a holistic, systemic view of risk assessment, as these elements interact with each other. These new guidance documents are not anticipated to be finalised before 2028-2029.
Dr. Barbara Berardi, Senior Policy Officer on Biodiversity, PAN Europe:
Dr. Berardi highlighted the paradox that, despite the EU's protective pesticide regulation (1107/2009), non-target organisms continue to decline due to obsolete and insufficient regulatory procedures, particularly the guidance documents. She identified three critical pitfalls in the ongoing revision of the Non-Target Arthropod (NTA) guidance:
- Level of protection: The current NTA guidance accepts high mortality rates (up to 100%) if recovery is deemed possible within a year, but scientific literature indicates that recovery protocols overestimate resilience and often don't occur. Robust protection goals are needed in the future guidance document in order to reverse decline.
- Ecosystem Services for Humans (ESH) concept: She criticised using the ESH concept in risk assessments, arguing it reduces ecosystems to their instrumental value for humans, misrepresents ecological dynamics, and jeopardises long-term resilience. Protecting biodiversity and ecosystem functions directly is the only way to guarantee continued services.
- Conflicts of interest: Dr. Berardi raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest in the drafting of guidance documents, noting that past processes involved industry-dominated working groups. She called for extreme vigilance to avoid both direct and indirect conflicts that could lower biodiversity protection standards.
Dr. Marie-Pierre Chauzat, ANSES, France:
Dr. Chauzat, contributing to the panel discussion, noted that beyond scientific data, understanding the practical and psychological reasons behind farmers' pesticide use is crucial for reducing their reliance on them. She stressed the need for research into current constraints disincentivising farmers' adoption of more environmental-friendly practices within the European legal and cultural context.
Conclusion
The "Bees & Bugs" conference underscored the dire state of insect biodiversity in Europe, primarily driven by pesticide use, and the critical need for immediate and comprehensive action. Speakers consistently highlighted the scientific consensus on the severe decline of pollinators and other arthropods, their invaluable economic and ecological contributions, and the complex ways pesticides interact with other environmental stressors.
A recurring theme was the urgent need for a robust, science-based approach to pesticide regulation and risk assessment that moves beyond outdated methodologies and addresses the combined "cocktail effects" of multiple pesticides. The discussions revealed significant political and regulatory hurdles, including the delayed implementation of crucial guidance documents and the persistent granting of derogations for banned substances.
The conference served as a powerful reminder that protecting biodiversity is not just an environmental imperative but also an economic and societal one, impacting food security and public health. Moving forward, a holistic approach that integrates scientific evidence, effective policy, and societal engagement is essential to safeguard Europe's vital insect populations and ensure a sustainable future.
Watch the full conference HERE.
