Bee-killing pesticides have been banned for emergency use in the UK for the first time in five years after the government rejected an application from the National Farmers’ Union and British Sugar.
The neonicotinoid pesticide Cruiser SB, which is used on sugar beet, is highly toxic to bees and has the potential to kill off populations of the insect. It is banned in the EU but the UK has provisionally agreed to its emergency use every year since leaving the bloc. It combats a plant disease known as virus yellows by killing the aphid that spreads it.
Prof Dave Goulson, a bee expert at the University of Sussex, has warned that one teaspoon of the chemical is enough to kill 1.25bn honeybees. Even at non-fatal doses it can cause cognitive problems that make it hard for bees to forage for nectar and the chemicals can stay in the soil for years.
The previous Conservative government repeatedly agreed to its use against the advice of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Expert Committee on Pesticides.
This year, ministers say they are refusing the application based on “robust assessments of environmental, health and economic risks and benefits, and advice from Defra’s chief scientific adviser, its economists, the Health and Safety Executive and the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides”.
The former environment secretary Michael Gove promised in 2017 that ministers would use Brexit to stop the use of the pesticide. Instead, the EU banned all emergency authorisations of neonicotinoid pesticides while the UK government has allowed its use, one of many ways the UK has diverged from EU environmental policy since Brexit.
The environment minister, Emma Hardy, said: “Britain is currently one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. This government is committed to protecting bees from toxic neonicotinoid pesticides, while working with our farmers to find new ways to protect crops and support a profitable farming sector.
“We recognise the threat that virus yellows can pose to sugar beet growers, and we will continue to support industry to develop alternatives to neonicotinoids on sugar beet that are effective at high levels of yellows virus infection.”
The Labour government plans to outlaw the emergency use of three neonicotinoid pesticides so they are no longer legally obliged to assess applications brought by farmers who want to use them.
Ministers say they have identified legislative options that would legally prevent the future use of three specific neonicotinoids – clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam – entirely.
Greenpeace UK’s policy director, Doug Parr, said: “This announcement is as sweet as honey. It’s a win for bees, butterflies and all pollinators, as well as every single person in this country, since our food supply is so dependent on them.
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“Bee populations have been absolutely decimated over recent years with the use of neonicotinoids – a single teaspoon of which is enough to kill 1.25 billion bees – fingered as a serious cause. And, now that the doom-loop of annual ‘emergency’ authorisations of these bee-killing chemicals has been broken, hopefully this marks the beginning of their recovery.
“Ministers have set out pathways for a future farming system free from neonics, now they must make the bold decision to ban them once and for all. This must be delivered alongside support for farmers to transition to bee-friendly methods of crop production that allows agriculture to work in harmony with nature.”
A spokesperson for the Pesticide Collaboration, made up of NGOs, academics and farming groups, said it welcomed the decision: “This marks a turning point for our environment and our pollinators, who have been sidelined in this decision-making process for too long. We now call on the government to support sugar beet farmers in their transition to growing sugar beet without neonics, and for an end to repeat permissions for all banned pesticides to prevent further damage to our environment.”
