Aldi asks suppliers to stop using bee-killing pesticides

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

German discounter Aldi has asked its German and Dutch fruit and vegetable suppliers to stop using eight pesticides that were found hazardous to bees. According to a press release from Greenpeace, Aldi Süd has asked the suppliers to bring this to effect at the earliest. These eight pesticides include, thiamethoxam, chlorpyrifos, clothianidin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, fipronil, imidacloprid and sulfoxaflor.

Aldi is the first large European retailer to put a stop on the use of these pesticides, which is found hazardous to the bees. The Dutch and German growers, who supply fruits and vegetables to Aldi Süd, now will have to adapt their cultivation to suit the new requirement from Aldi. According to Greenpeace, this would not be a huge problem. More and more farmers and growers succeed in cultivating food without using these pesticides, Greenpeace said in the news release.

Nefyto, the trade association of the agrochemical industry in the Netherlands, considers the requirement of Aldi Süd undesirable and inappropriate. All I can say to that is that he and his association obviously would consider this step undesirable and inappropriate.

The British government, after the EU banned certain pesticides and chemicals harmful to bees, entirely disregarded this ban and actually more or less promoted the use of so-called neonicotinoids, upon lobbying by the NFU and other farming bodies who claim that without those pesticides they cannot grow their crops. Let's put it bluntly: without bees we won't have crops.

Aldi Süd's move can only be applauded and it can only be hoped that the other Aldi part, as they are actually two discounters with the same name – long story but that's how it is – also will go down the same route.

© 2016