Non-compliance with the World Trade Organization agreements by exporters of the European bumblebee, Bombus terrestris

Abstract

International companies commercially rear bumblebees worldwide, the trade of which is regulated through agreements established by the World Trade Organization (WTO). Scientific studies have shown multiple negative effects of introduced commercial bumblebees on native bees in Japan, Australia, Sweden, Israel, Chile, and Argentina, calling into question the compliance of exporting with some of the established WTO international sanitary regulations. We analyzed international WTO sanitary regulations focusing on the international trade of bumblebees from the European Union (EU) and Israel, especially regarding bumblebee exports to Chile and their side effects in neighboring Argentina. We have gathered evidence showing that exporters of bumblebees do not comply with WTO international trade agreements in at least two ways: (1) the quality of commercialized bumblebees differs from the quality declared in their certifications, and (2) the countries that sell the bumblebees violate sanitary agreements, producing negative effects on other native pollinating insects and causing a cascade of adverse impacts affecting both the environment and agriculture. This situation suggests that companies that raise bumblebees are currently in breach of WTO regulations and continue to contribute to major environmental damage in southern South America and elsewhere.