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A court in Nice has suspended the use of two pesticides amid claims that they could be harmful to bees.

The tribunal administratif de Nice temporarily overruled an earlier decision to authorise the Transform and Closer pesticides, manufactured by US corporation Dow, saying not enough information was available concerning the effects of its active ingredient sulfaxoflor on France's vulnerable bee population, Europe 1 reports.

The court's ruling puts the sale of the pesticides on hold, after Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (Anses) had authorised the use of both products in September.

But, a month later, it was given three months to examine new evidence on the orders of both the agriculture and environment ministries.

This fact, and Anses' concession that sulfaxoflor is a toxic substance, confirmed 'the lack of certainty as to the safety of this product', the judge said in his ruling.

Sulfaxoflor is authorised for use in 41 countries, but campaign groups, including Générations Futures which brought the case, have claimed it is a new kind of neocotinoid, which is recognised as being harmful to bees. Neocotinoid-based pesticides are in the process of being banned in France.

It is not yet known if Dow, whose agriscience operation is based near Nice, will appeal against the decision. It has two weeks to decide.