A proposed bill on increasing fines for violations of pesticide use in Russia to protect bees and the environment.

The bill presented in the State Duma provides for an increase in fines for violations of rules related to the use of pesticides and agrochemicals. According to the new legislation, legal entities will face a maximum fine of 350,000 rubles, and for repeated violations, the amount may reach 450,000 rubles.

The explanatory note highlights that the initiative for the bill was proposed by the organization "Industrial Beekeepers of Russia." The authors note that under current legislation, administrative fines for legal entities range from 10,000 to 100,000 rubles or administrative suspension of activities for up to 90 days. For individuals engaged in entrepreneurial activities without creating a legal entity, the fine ranges from 2,000 to 5,000 rubles. The bill's authors believe that these sanctions do not correspond to the seriousness of the consequences of improper use of plant protection products.

"The scale of the problem is confirmed by facts: the number of bee colonies dying from pesticide poisoning is increasing. According to the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, in the summer of 2019, 39,700 bee colonies died from pesticide poisoning... In 2022, there were 370 cases of bee colony deaths due to pesticide poisoning in 23 regions of Russia... In total, 14,655 bee colonies died from pesticide poisoning," emphasize the authors of the bill, noting that improper pesticide use leads not only to harm to bees but also to humans.

"Due to the violation of herbicide application norms in Russia, 14,000 people die every year, and 700,000 get sick as a result of pesticide action," claim the authors of the bill.

In accordance with a similar law previously adopted on handling livestock waste, it is proposed to increase the sizes of fines for violations of rules related to testing, production, transportation, storage, use, and other handling of pesticides and agrochemicals (except in cases where these rules are established by technical regulations) if such violations can harm the environment.

For citizens, the fine will range from 2,000 to 3,000 rubles, for officials – 30,000 to 40,000 rubles. For entrepreneurs, sanctions will range from 50,000 to 60,000 rubles or administrative suspension of activities for up to 90 days. For legal entities, fines will range from 250,000 to 350,000 rubles or administrative suspension of activities for up to 90 days.

For repeated violations committed within a year, the sanctions will be more severe:

For citizens, fines will be from 3,000 to 4,000 rubles, for officials – 40,000 to 50,000 rubles. For entrepreneurs – 60,000 to 70,000 rubles or administrative suspension of activities for up to 90 days. Fines for legal entities will range from 350,000 to 450,000 rubles or administrative suspension of activities for up to 90 days.