Today, the European Parliament supported, in plenary session, last week's veto from the Environment Committee against increased Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) of Flupyradifurone, a controversial neonicotinoid, in rapeseed (canola).
Martin Dermine, PAN Europe Executive Director, said: "This vote indicates that a majority in the European Parliament is in favour of the protection of our children's brains and pollinator populations. We trust that MEPs will realise that their vote in the ongoing discussions on the Food and Feed Safety Omnibus proposal will be key for the future of Europeans' health and the environment."
The 383 votes in favour of the rejection (278 opposed and 9 abstained) of the Commission decision is taking place under the scrutiny procedure for European Commission delegated acts. The European Commission will thus not be able to move forward with the MRL increase, and the current, lower MRL for flupyradifurone in rapeseed will remain.
Flupyradifurone is a new-generation neonicotinoid that was first approved in the EU in 2015. [1] When independent researchers had the chance to investigate this insecticide after its introduction, they found that it is toxic to bees - particularly bumble bees and wild bees.
Pauline Cervan, a Senior toxicologist at Générations Futures (France), said: "In this period of massive disinformation, we are glad the European Parliament followed what science tells us: neonicotinoids are potentially harmful to developing foetuses, and potential endocrine disruptors. They also pose an unacceptable risk to bees. The European Commission's attempt to increase European consumers’ exposure to this chemical is irresponsible."
Flupyradifurone is currently under review at EU level. The Rapporteur Member State (Greece) already concluded that, based on the available scientific information, no outdoor use should be considered safe for wild bees. Recent science further indicates that this neonicotinoid interferes with the functioning of mammalian neurons, which is in line with findings from other neonicotinoids. [2]
Neonicotinoids and children's brains
While the toxicity of neonicotinoids to pollinators is now well-known among citizens and decision-makers, the risk they pose to foetuses and young children is still disregarded and not prioritised. Brain development in early life stages is very sensitive to interactions with neurotoxicants. Scientific research has shown that neonicotinoids, due to their systemic properties, directly pass the placental barrier and interact with neurons within developing brains.
Currently, regulatory tests do not assess the impact of such exposure on cognitive functions, which is, considering the state of scientific knowledge, unacceptable. Indeed, scientific research has already proven that exposure to pesticides during pregnancy or at early life stages leads to reduced cognitive functions, but also to an increase in the risk of developing paediatric brain tumours.
Générations Futures and PAN Europe wrote to the European Commission in May 2025 to highlight the importance of more strictly regulating neonicotinoids to protect children's brains and pollinators. [3]
Acetamiprid is another neonicotinoid that is still approved in the EU, and for which there is concerning information on its neurotoxicity and its significant, chronic toxicity to pollinators. Acetamiprid is currently under review by the European Commission. According to Générations Futures and PAN Europe, it should be classified as Toxic to reproduction category 1B, considering the available scientific information on its neurotoxicity.
Contact:
- Dr Martin Dermine (PAN Europe), Executive Director, martin [at] pan-europe.info, +32 2 318 62 55
- Pauline Cervan (Générations Futures), Senior Toxicologist, pauline [at] generations-futures.fr, +33 7 57 18 34 22
Notes:
[1] Bayer has classified the substance as a butenolide insecticide, a new family of pesticides that was created specifically for flupyradifurone, probably to avoid the negative reputation of neonicotinoids. Since it follows the same mode of action and is a systemic insecticide, meaning it can be absorbed by the roots or the leaves of plants, it should have been classified as a neonicotinoid. This approach was also used for sulfoxaflor (sulfoxamine), which has been banned in the meantime.
[2] Cöllen et al. (2026), Functional Expression of Nicotinic Receptors on iPSC-Derived Astrocytes and Signalling Disturbances by a Panel of Neonicotinoid Pesticides and Their Metabolites
[3] PAN Europe and Générations Futures ask the European Commission to ban neurotoxic acetamiprid at once
