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GERMANY-ENVIRONMENT-AGRICULTURE-CONSERVATION-INSECTS
Germany moots tougher insect protections
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Feb 17, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Germany plans an insect
protection law to slash use of pesticides and pump tens of millions of euros
(dollars) into research, a minister said Sunday, as global concern grows over
mankind’s impact on the crucial invertebrates.
“We human beings need insects, they deserve to be protected with their own
law,” Environment Minister Svenja Schulze told weekly Bild am Sonntag.
Her “action plan for protecting insects”, seen by news agency DPA, would
provide annual funding of 100 million euros ($113 million) for the cause,
including 25 million euros for research.
Germany would also stop covering new land with concrete for roads or home
construction until 2050, and limit light emissions at night to avoid
disorienting the six-legged creatures.
The federal government would set rules for “environmentally and naturally
bearable application of pesticides and significant reduction of their input
and that of other harmful substances into insect habitats,” according to the
document.
Schulze’s scheme would include a ban by 2023 for hotly-debated herbicide
glyphosate — overtaking neighbour France, which has yet to set a firm date.
But the Social Democratic Party (SPD) minister could face difficulty
pushing her law past members of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian
Democratic Union (CDU).
The senior coalition partner in Berlin holds the critical agriculture
ministry and is traditionally closer to farmers.
“We wouldn’t only be protecting stag beetles and bumblebees, but above all
ourselves” by preserving insects, Schulze said.
Campaigners worldwide have highlighted the risks of declining insect
numbers, noting the arthropods are vital for pollenating plants — including
food crops — and as food sources for larger animals like birds.
Last week, a record 1.75 million people in prosperous south German state
Bavaria signed a petition for a referendum to “save the bees”, calling for
more organic farming and green spaces and increased protection from
agricultural chemicals.
The referendum campaign was opposed by the powerful regional farmers’
association, which warned of potential financial costs to the industry and
urged the population to “stop bashing farmers”.
BSS/AFP/RY/1840 hrs