Beekeeper receives compensation for glyphosate in honey

The beekeeping couple Sebastian and Camille Seusing had set up their bee colonies since May 2018 at a
forest edge in the Barnim district.

In April 2019, the bees found a richly laid table on the adjacent field: the dandelions were in full bloom. The tenant of the field, an agricultural company run by Dutch investors, sprayed the dandelions with glyphosate to prepare the field for maize cultivation. The Seusings’ bees continued to collect flower pollen and nectar that had been sprayed with glyphosate before the dandelions died off after two days. Laboratory analyzes of the honey revealed that the permitted maximum residue levels for glyphosate were exceeded by up to 152 times. Beekeeper Seusing was forced to dispose of tonnes of honey because it was no longer fit for sale or consumption. Due to the financial losses, Seusing has since given up his family business.

Pesticides may only be used on farmland in such a way that the applicable maximum residue levels in honey are complied with. For this reason, the plant protection service of the state of Brandenburg has been advising farmers for years that, in order to avoid residues in honey, the use of glyphosate-containing herbicides on flowering plants should be avoided. Nevertheless, comparable cases of damage continue to occur on a regular basis.

Farmers must bear responsibility for damage caused by their use of pesticides. This was decided by the Frankfurt (Oder) Regional Court in a landmark ruling on 20 June 2022.

The court awarded a beekeeper claims for damages against an agricultural company because his honey had to be destroyed due to glyphosate contamination. As the Regional Court thereby confirmed, the defendant agricultural company bears full responsibility for the consequences of its use of glyphosate.

Dr Georg Buchholz, lawyer for beekeeper Sebastian Seusing, explains: «The court today clarified that those who use pesticides must ensure that no harm
results from doing so. Beekeepers and consumers must be able to rely on the fact that
honey production is not made impossible by the use of pesticides. This is also
what pesticide legislation requires. It is therefore only logical that beekeepers can claim damages when pesticide residues exceed permissible limits. Ultimately, residue-free honey can only be guaranteed if no pesticides are applied to flowering plants. During the oral hearing, the court made clear that agriculture must, if necessary, accept additional effort in order to avoid total losses for beekeepers.«

Thomas Radetzki, board member of the Aurelia Foundation, comments: «Today's ruling sends an important
signal that reaches far beyond Brandenburg. Until now, beekeepers have generally been left to bear their losses when their honey is contaminated and has to be destroyed due to agricultural pesticides. The fact that farmers can be held liable for damages caused by pesticides
will hopefully help reduce the frequency of such incidents. The Aurelia Foundation has been campaigning for years, in the interests of
wild bees, honey bees, and the beekeeping community, for a nationwide ban on
pesticide spraying on flowering plants.«