Costa Rican Beekeepers: “Fipronil Endangers Nature And Human Health”

This week, the Contentious Administrative Court suspended the decree that prohibited the registration, import, formulation, storage, distribution, transportation, repackaging, repackaging, and professional or industrial use of Fipronil.

For the National Chamber of Beekeepers, this decision is a “serious setback in the protection of bees that endangers nature and human health“, considering that part of the decline in the populations of this insect is due to massive poisoning by that insecticide.

The right to life, health and a healthy environment

The suspension was given by a lawsuit from the company ECO Company SA, which is against what the decree stipulates. For this reason, the beekeepers ask to resolve the claims of this company taking into account the right to life, health and a healthy environment, which are fundamental rights.

“We demand the immediate prohibition of the agricultural use of Fipronil in Costa Rica. A request submitted by this Chamber since April 7^th, 2021, before the ministries of Health, Agriculture and Environment. We believe that due to the time elapsed, which is more than two years, their situation is in a state of irregularity,” the Chamber stated.

Likewise, the beekeepers announced that they will redouble their efforts to effectively protect the hundreds of species that exist in Costa Rica, through a sustainable agri-food model that relates to nature and produces healthier food.

Fipronil: toxic agent

According to the Chamber, around 250,000 bees (ApisMelífera) die in the country due to poisoning by insecticides. The National Animal Health Service (SENASA) has determined that the toxic agent responsible for these deaths is Fipronil.

“We request to act according to the principles that govern environmental matters, remembering that specialized doctrine has indicated that the preventive principle demands that, when there is certainty of possible damage to the environment, the activity that affects it must be prohibited, limited or conditioned to the fulfillment of certain requirements”, pointed out the beekeepers.In May 2020, two million bees from an apiary in Esparza, Puntarentas, died from strong Fipronil poisoning.