EU agrees to ban all bee-harming pesticides

The ban was approved by member nations on Friday and is expected to come into force by the end of 2018. It will mean that these pesticides can only be used in closed greenhouses.

Neonicotinoids is the world's most widely used insecticide. The plummeting numbers of pollinators in recent years is partly due to the widespread use of pesticides. Bees and other insects are vital for global food production as they pollinate three-quarters of all crops.