French beekeepers furious as pesticide ban lifted

Beekeepers and environmentalists in France reacted furiously after parliament approved a bill reauthorising two banned neonicotinoid pesticides, acetamiprid and flupyradifurone, to combat aphid-borne diseases in crops. Scientists say these pesticides poison bees, affecting foraging and memory. The French beekeeping association UNAF called it "an absolute disaster" for biodiversity. The environment minister, Monique Barbut, resigned in protest but was persuaded to stay.