Emergency approval of pesticides that harm bees will end

The government has said that the emergency use of three pesticides that can be fatal for bees will soon be stopped forever.

Neonicotinoids were banned in 2018, but sugar beet farmers have been given special permission to use them every year for the past four years to fight virus yellows, a disease spread by aphids.

The government announced Saturday that it would consider “legislative options” that would legally block all use of three specific neonicotinoids in the future.

Meanwhile, an application by the National Farmers Union (NFU) and British Sugar for emergency use in 2025 will still have to be considered under existing laws.

Both organizations said the industry’s work on developing alternative ways to fight the disease – which has caused up to 80% crop losses in the past – is making “good progress”.

The NFU said that having only one list of banned products, with no emergency authorization for their use, could “set a worrying precedent” but wildlife organizations welcomed the government’s announcement.

Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trust, said, “There is no place for toxic pesticides that kill bees in British agriculture”.

He said the government’s decision “should not be weakened by allowing emergency use of neonicotinoids next year”.

Jenna Hegarty, head of policy at the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN), said the decision was “long overdue”.

The current application for emergency use authorization is for Cruzer SB, a neonicotinoid used as a seed treatment.

Although the application process will still proceed under the law, the government said it would review the guidance to ensure that the risks to pollinators are taken “full account” of any decisions taken by the Secretary of State.

Studies have shown that neonicotinoids can be extremely toxic to pollinators and that even at doses that are not directly lethal to bees, they can cause cognitive problems that impair bees’ abilities to forage. And affect the productivity of hives.

Banning emergency authorizations was a key election pledge of Labor and the government said on Saturday it would consult on the plan and identify potential changes needed to the law.

A complete ban in the future would include neonicotinoid products containing clothianidin, imidacloprid or thiamethoxam.

Environment Minister Emma Hardie said stopping their use was “an important step in supporting the long-term health of our environment and waterways and our agricultural sector”.

In a joint statement, Michael Sly, chairman of the NFU’s sugar board, and Dan Green, agricultural director of British Sugar – which supplies 60% of the UK’s sugar – said there was still an “ongoing risk” from virus yellows.

But he said pesticides would be used on seeds only if a certain threshold of danger – set by the government – ​​was met and any use would be strictly managed.

He said the industry is dedicated to finding “permanent solutions” to combat crop disease.

“We have seen developments in a number of areas, including gene editing, conventional breeding techniques, and several new integrated pest management trials that look promising,” he said.

British Sugar previously said it expected virus yellows-resistant crops to be commercially available by 2026.