UK to ban bee-killing pesticides but highly toxic type could still be allowed

UK to ban bee-killing pesticides but highly toxic type could still be allowed

Ministers set out plans for outlawing neonicotinoids but considering application by farmers to use Cruiser SB. The EU banned all emergency authorisations of neonicotinoid pesticides, while since 2021 the UK government

Bee-killing pesticides are to be banned by the UK government, as ministers set out plans to outlaw the use of neonicotinoids.

However, the highly toxic neonicotinoid Cruiser SB could be allowed for use next year, as ministers are considering applications from the National Farmers’ Union and British Sugar.

This powerful pesticide poisons bees by destroying their nervous systems. Prof Dave Goulson, a bee expert at the University of Sussex, has said that one teaspoon of the chemical is enough to kill 1.25 billion 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.

Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, says:

“We welcome UK Government’s recognition that there is no place in British agriculture for toxic bee-killing pesticides. Ending the use of deadly chemicals is fundamental for both food security and nature recovery, because farming relies on a healthy natural world.

“Bees and other insects contribute hundreds of millions of pounds to the UK economy each year through natural pollination. We know that responsible farmers don’t want to use these chemicals, so industry needs to provide better support to transition to chemical-free alternatives.

Thiamethoxam is lethal – even a miniscule trace of this toxin can disrupt a bee’s ability to navigate and reproduce, significantly reducing the chance of survival. A third of UK food crops are pollinated by insects so our food system cannot function without bees.

85% of rivers tested in 2023-2024 were found to have deadly neonicotinoid pesticides present, including those authorised for use on sugar beet, with the proportion affected seeming to have risen slightly from previous years.