Aldi has become the first major retailer in Europe to ban bee-harming pesticides from its products.
Aldi Süd – the discount chain’s German arm – has made it a requirement for its suppliers to phase out the toxins that are most harmful to bees, including neonicotinoids.
The ban came into effect at the start of 2016 after lobbying from environmental organisation Greenpeace.
Christiane Huxdorff, ecological farming campaigner at Greenpeace Germany, told the UK's Metro newspaper: 'Aldi Süd shows that the toxic dependency on pesticides can be broken and in this sense becomes a pioneer in the retail sector.
'Other European supermarkets are now called upon to follow this first step.'
The EU has some of the most stringent rules on bee toxins in the world, but they only have a partial ban in place – limiting the use of three types of neonicotinoids and fipronil.
Huxdorff added: 'Supermarkets are an important part of the supply chain, and have to work on non-chemical solutions together with farmers.
'European decision-makers must act now and not only convert the partial ban on three neonicotinoids and fipronil into a full one, but broaden its scope to all pesticides threatening our bees.'
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