英国政府允许农民使用欧盟禁止的危害蜜蜂的杀虫剂

【来源龙腾网】

正文原创翻译：

UK Government to let farmers use bee-killing pesticide banned in EU

-‘We need urgent action to restore the abundance of our insect populations, not broken promises that make the ecological crisis even worse,’ says Wildlife Trusts

英国政府允许农民使用欧盟禁止的危害蜜蜂的杀虫剂

——野生生物基金会说：“我们需要采取紧急行动来恢复昆虫数量，而不是违背承诺使生态危机进一步恶化。”

（此前，欧盟禁止了使用新烟碱类杀虫剂，该杀虫剂被认为破坏了蜜蜂数量，欧洲环保主义者们上街庆祝。）

新闻：

A bee-killing pesticide so poisonous that it is banned by the EU may be used on sugar beet in England, the government has announced.

英国政府宣布，一种被欧盟禁止使用的毒性很强的杀蜂杀虫剂可能会在英国的甜菜上使用。

The decision to allow temporary use of the pesticide prompted fury from nature-lovers and environmentalists, who accused ministers of bowing to pressure from farmers.

允许临时使用杀虫剂的决定激起了自然爱好者和环保主义者的愤怒，他们指责大臣们屈从于农民的压力。

They said during the biodiversity crisis, when at least half the world’s insects have disappeared, the government should be doing everything it could to save bees, not allow them to be killed.

他们说，在生物多样性危机期间，世界上至少一半的昆虫已经消失，政府应该尽一切努力拯救蜜蜂，而不是让它们被杀死。

Environment secretary George Eustice has agreed to let a product containing the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam to treat sugar beet seed this year in an effort to protect the crop from a virus.

英国环境大臣乔治·尤斯蒂斯已经同意让一种含有新烟碱噻虫嗪的产品今年用于防治甜菜种子，以保护作物免受病毒侵袭。

Last year a virus significantly reduced sugar beet yields, and similar conditions this year would be likely to present similar dangers, Mr Eustice’s department said.

尤斯蒂斯的部门表示，去年一种病毒大幅降低了甜菜产量，今年类似的情况可能会带来类似的危险。

Setting out conditions for the “limited and controlled” use of the pesticide, officials said the minister had agreed an emergency authorisation of it for up to 120 days. British Sugar and the National Farmers unx had applied to the government to be allowed to use it.

官员们表示，在为“有限和控制”使用这种杀虫剂设定了条件的情况下，大臣已经同意紧急授权使用这种杀虫剂120天。英国糖业和全国农民联盟此前向政府申请允许使用它。

But the Wildlife Trusts said neonicotinoids pose a significant environmental risk, particularly to bees and other pollinators.

但是野生动物基金会说，新烟碱对环境造成了重大威胁，尤其是对蜜蜂和其他传粉动物。

A third of the UK bee population is thought to have vanished in a decade, yet up to three-quarters of crop species are pollinated by bees, studies show. 

研究表明，英国有三分之一的蜜蜂在十年内消失了，然而多达四分之三的农作物是由蜜蜂进行授粉的。

A 2017 study of 33 oilseed rape sites in the UK, Germany and Hungary found a lix between higher levels of neonicotinoid residues and lower bee reproduction, with fewer queens in bumblebee hives and fewer egg cells in solitary bee nests.

2017年，一项针对英国、德国和匈牙利33个油籽基地的研究发现，高水平的新烟碱残留与蜜蜂繁殖率低之间存在联系，大黄蜂蜂箱中的蜂王更少了，独居蜂巢中的卵细胞也更少了。

The following year, the EU agreed a ban on all outdoor uses of three neonicotinoid insecticides to protect bees.

第二年，欧盟同意禁止在户外使用三种新烟碱类杀虫剂，以保护蜜蜂。

Evidence suggests the pesticides harm bee brain development, weaken immune systems and can leave bees unable to fly.  

有证据表明，杀虫剂会损害蜜蜂大脑发育，削弱免疫系统，并使蜜蜂无法飞行。

A 2019 report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation said there was a “rapidly growing body of evidence” that “strongly suggests that the existing levels of environmental contamination” by neonicotinoids were causing “large-scale adverse effects on bees and other beneficial insects”.  

联合国粮农组织和世界卫生组织2019年的一份报告称，“迅速增多的证据”“强烈表明”新烟碱类药物“对环境的现有污染水平”正在“对蜜蜂和其他有益昆虫造成大规模不利影响”。

The Wildlife Trusts tweeted: “Bad news for bees: The government has bowed to pressure from the National Farmers unx to agree the use of a highly damaging pesticide.

野生动物基金会在推特上写道：“对蜜蜂们来说，这是一个坏消息：政府屈服于全国农民联盟的压力，同意使用一种极具破坏性的杀虫剂。

“The government know the clear harm that neonicotinoid pesticides cause to bees and other pollinators and just three years ago supported restrictions on them across the European unx.

“政府清楚地知道新烟碱类杀虫剂对蜜蜂和其他传粉昆虫造成的危害，就在三年前，政府还支持在欧盟范围内限制使用新烟碱类杀虫剂。

“Insects perform vital roles such as pollination of crops and wildflowers, and nutrient recycling, but so many have suffered drastic declines.”

“昆虫扮演着至关重要的角色，比如为农作物和野花授粉，以及养分循环，但很多昆虫的数量都在急剧下降。”

The trusts added that evidence suggests the world has lost at least 50 per cent of insects since 1970, and 41 per cent of insect species were now threatened with extinction.

该基金会补充说，有证据表明，自1970年以来，世界至少失去了50%的昆虫，41%的昆虫物种现在面临灭绝的威胁。

“We need urgent action to restore the abundance of our insect populations, not broken promises that make the ecological crisis even worse.”

“我们需要采取紧急行动，恢复昆虫的丰富数量，而不是违背承诺，使生态危机更加严重。”

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said sugar beet was cultivated in only one out of four beet-processing factories in the east of England.

英国环境、食品和农村事务部表示，在英格兰东部，只有四分之一的甜菜加工厂种植甜菜。

Last month it was revealed that the National Farmers’ unx had organised a letter from members to Mr Eustice urging him to allow the neonicotinoid called Cruiser SB to be used in England this spring.

据透露，上个月全国农民联盟组织成员写了一封给尤斯蒂斯先生的信，敦促他允许今年春天在英国使用名为Cruiser SB（译注：“SB巡洋舰”？）的新烟碱。

A message to members stated: “Engagement on this campaign has been truly incredible”, adding: “Please refrain from sharing this on social media.”

在发给会员的一条信息中写道：“人们对这项活动的参与度真的令人难以置信”，并补充道：“请不要在社交媒体上公开它。”

Thiamethoxam is designed protect sugar beet in its early stages from insects but critics warn it will not only kill bees but also harm creatures in the soil as it washes off.

噻虫嗪被设计用来保护甜菜在其早期阶段免受昆虫的侵害，但批评者警告说，它不仅会杀死蜜蜂，当它被冲刷掉时，还会伤害土壤中的生物。

NFU sugar board chairman Michael Sly said the pesticide would be used in a limited and controlled way and only when the scientific threshold has been independently judged to have been met.

全国农场主联合会糖业委员会主席迈克尔·斯莱表示，农药将以有限和受控的方式使用，而且只有在独立判断达到科学阈值的情况下才会被使用。

“Virus yellows disease is having an unprecedented impact on Britain’s sugar beet crop, with some growers experiencing yield losses of up to 80 per cent, and this authorisation is desperately needed to fight this disease. It will be crucial in ensuring that Britain’s sugar beet growers continue to have viable farm businesses,” he said.

“病毒性黄化病对英国甜菜作物产生了前所未有的影响，一些种植者经历了高达80%的产量损失，急需批准防治这种疾病。这对于确保英国甜菜种植者继续拥有可行的农场业务至关重要，”他说。

France has also given sugar-beet farmers special permission to use neonicotinoids.

法国还特别允许种植甜菜的农民使用新烟碱类药物。

A Defra spokesperson said: “Emergency authorisations for pesticides are only granted in exceptional circumstances where diseases or pests cannot be controlled by any other reasonable means. Emergency authorisations are used by countries across Europe.

英国环境部发言人说：“只有在特殊情况下，当疾病或虫害无法通过任何其他合理手段控制时，才会批准使用杀虫剂的紧急许可。欧洲各国也都在使用紧急授权。

“Pesticides can only be used where we judge there to be no harm to human health and animal health, and no unacceptable risks to the environment. The temporary use of this product is strictly limited to a non-flowering crop and will be tightly controlled to minimise any potential risk to pollinators.”

“农药只能在我们认为对人类健康和动物健康没有危害，对环境没有不可接受的风险的情况下使用。这种产品的临时使用严格限制在非开花作物，并将严格控制，以减少任何对传粉昆虫潜在的风险。”