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Emergency authorisation of bee-killing pesticide is a “deathblow”, say The Wildlife Trusts

'Emergency' authorisation to use a highly damaging neonicotinoid has today been approved by UK Government, despite nearly 15,000 people calling on them to choose better support for farmers and thriving wildlife, instead of bee-killing pesticides.

Today, 18th January 2024, the UK Government’s Farming Minister, Mark Spencer, has approved ‘emergency’ authorisation for the use of the highly damaging neonicotinoid, Thiamethoxam, on sugar beet for the fourth year in a row. This pesticide has been banned in the UK since 2018 but has been approved for use on British sugar beet crops. This announcement comes despite an industry commitment to end reliance on the banned pesticide by 2023. 

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. With a third of UK food crops pollinated by insects, and their contribution to the UK economy estimated at hundreds of millions of pounds per year - our food system cannot function without bees.  

Research published in 2023 found harmful neonicotinoids present in more than 10% of English rivers, home to 3,800 invertebrate species, despite a widespread ban of these chemicals in 2018. Today’s decision will put the health of UK rivers at even further risk. 

Buff-tailed bumblebee

Buff-tailed bumblebee © Vaughn Matthews 

Barnaby Coupe, land use policy manager at The Wildlife Trusts, says: 

"The Farming Minister’s decision to authorise the use of a banned neonicotinoid pesticide on sugar beet for the fourth year in a row is a deathblow for wildlife, a backwards step in evidence-based decision making, and a betrayal of farmers who are producing food sustainably. 

"On the same day the Office for Environmental Protection has published a report revealing UK Government is still not on track to meet its own environmental commitments, it is shocking that politicians are still choosing to support short-term corporate profits at the expense of nature and the long-term sustainability of farm businesses. 

"The Wildlife Trusts are deeply disappointed that this decision ignores a third of sugar beet farmers in England who chose not to use this chemical in previous years , and who will now be actively disadvantaged this year. It is entirely possible to produce food in a way that helps rather than harms nature – and UK farmers know that the use of this chemical is not a long-term solution. 

Rather than repeat authorisations for toxic chemicals, The Wildlife Trusts want to see British Sugar and the UK Government offer more support to transition away from harmful pesticides like these, which threaten the future of our farming and natural systems.

"This should include providing routes to market for farmers growing non-neonic treated sugar, and providing targeted financial support for non-neonic beet growers to cover additional risk currently taken on by the farmer."

The Wildlife Trusts submitted a formal complaint about the Minister’s decision to grant authorisations in previous years to the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) in June 2023, which is still under consideration. The UK Government’s decision to authorise this chemical is in contradiction with the OEP’s report released today: Progress on improving the natural environment in England. The report states that UK Government’s efforts to manage exposure to chemicals and pesticides has been limited and they are largely off track to meet its commitments.  

Approximately fifteen thousand people wrote to Mark Spencer, the Farming Minister, asking him to provide more support for farmers, healthy wildlife, and unpolluted soils and rivers - instead of another year of banned, toxic chemicals. Today, Mr Mark Spencer said no. 

Editor’s notes

An application for the use of neonicotinoids in 2024 was discussed in September’s Expert Committee on Pesticides meeting – minutes just published here. The Committee noted “this is the fourth consecutive application for this proposed use” and that “it has not been clearly established that there will be no unacceptable effects on adult or larval honeybee survival and behaviour following the use of ‘Cruiser SB’, and that the impact on the survival, development or productivity of the colony is unknown.” Furthermore, the Committee highlighted risks of further polluting UK rivers and noted “continued surface water monitoring from catchment sensitive farming sites shows higher concentrations of clothianidin than thiamethoxam when ‘Cruiser SB’ has been used”. The ECP agreed that “the potential adverse effects to honeybees and other pollinators cannot be excluded to a satisfactory level if an authorisation were to be granted and this outweighs any likely benefits” and concluded that the requirements for emergency authorisation have not been met. 

British Sugar commitment to end neonicotinoid use by end of 2023:  

Documents were released by Defra in 2021 under a Freedom of Information Request. Managing Director of British Sugar, Paul Kenward, wrote to Victoria Prentis MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 17th August 2020, saying: “We would welcome a limited derogation of no more than three years, as is proposed in France, which would help to give us time to develop alternatives to the seed treatments.” 

A House of Commons Library document states: “In the 2022 decision, the Government said that there is currently no straight replacement for neonicotinoids but by 2023, the sugar beet sector hopes to no longer require neonicotinoid treatments. It is believed that the development of more pest-resistant crops and be using a more integrated pest management approach will suffice.” See 1.6 Future Policy CDP-2022-0024.pdf (parliament.uk) 

The applicant guidance published by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) clearly discourages repeat requests for temporary derogations under Article 53 of Regulation 1107/2009. HSE will not normally consider more than three repeat requests for Article 53 emergency authorisation for the same product and use.  

UK Government aspiration to end reliance on neonicotinoids in 2023: Government approval for the use of neonicotinoids and the impact on bees - House of Commons Library (parliament.uk) says: "The Government stated that by 2023, it is hoped that the sugar beet industry will no longer rely on neonicotinoids through the development of pest-resistant varieties and greater use of Integrated Pest Management, a key focus for future UK pesticides policy."  

The Wildlife Trusts’ complaint to the Office for Environmental Protection: In June 2023, Leigh Day submitted a formal complaint to the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) on behalf of The Wildlife Trusts concerning the repeated (annual) use of emergency authorisations under Article 53 of Regulation 1107/2009 to authorise prohibited chemicals for use on farmland in England. In particular, the complaint raised significant issue with the Minister’s decision-making process in granting the authorisation. See: OEP Submission on Emergency Authorisations (05.06.2023.pdf (wildlifetrusts.org) 

UK Government's committed to the Global Biodiversity Framework at COP15 in December 2022. Target 7 states: Reduce pollution risks and the negative impact of pollution from all sources, by 2030, to levels that are not harmful to biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, considering cumulative effects, including: reducing excess nutrients lost to the environment by at least half including through more efficient nutrient cycling and use; reducing the overall risk from pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals by at least half including through integrated pest management, based on science, taking into account food security and livelihoods; and also preventing, reducing, and working towards eliminating plastic pollution. See summary: COP15: Nations Adopt Four Goals, 23 Targets for 2030 In Landmark UN Biodiversity Agreement | Convention on Biological Diversity (cbd.int) 

In 2023, the Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP), said: “it is unable to support an emergency authorisation under Article 53 of Regulation 1107/2009, as potential adverse effects to honeybees and other pollinators outweigh the likely benefits.” The UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP) advice 2023: use of ‘Cruiser SB’ on sugar beet - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

Neonicotinoid risk to bees: The environmental risks of neonicotinoid pesticides: a review of the evidence post 2013 (springer.com) and Are crops being devastated without neonicotinoid protection? : Dave's blog : Goulson Lab : School of Life Sciences : University of Sussex 

Risk to rivers: See Wildlife & Countryside Link, Toxic chemical cocktails found at over 1,600 river and groundwater sites across England  

  • 1 or more of 5 harmful neonicotinoids analysed were found in more than 1 in 10 English river sites tested by the Environment Agency (29 of 283 sites) 

  • At 55% of these 29 sites one or more neonics were above the EU’s proposed Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) – the level deemed safe for aquatic wildlife. With 21% of sites having one or more neonics at over 4 times the safe level. 

  • The neonics Clothianidin and Imidacloprid were most prevalent and most exceeded the proposed EQS. 28% of Clothianidin site detections and 47% of Imidacloprid site detections were over the proposed EU safe levels. (Clothianidin is the breakdown product of Thiamethoxam that is used to treat sugar beet seed.) 

  • The highest neonic concentrations were detected in the East of England, South East and West Mids in rivers including the Rivers Ivel, Waveney, Nene, Ouse and Tame. The highest number of neonics found at single sites were detected in Yorks and Humber, the West Mids and E of England.  

  • Further details, data, and maps related to this research are available here. 

Lack of support for neonic-free farmers – The Wildlife Trusts’ Barnaby Coupe writes: “A Defra economic analysis report published in early 2023 found that almost a third of sugar beet growers did not use Thiamethoxam-treated seed in 2022, despite an emergency authorisation for its use being approved. If British Sugar is sincere about moving away from neonicotinoid-treated sugar, it would be supporting these innovative farmers who are shouldering business risks to reduce environmental harms as champions of post-neonicotinoid farming. Unfortunately, the reverse is currently the case. Farmers are left with no routes to market neonic-free sugar because British Sugar control the supply chain and all three processing facilities in England; British Sugar has not invested in capacity to output neonic-free or organic sugar. So there is not a technological barrier to producing neonic-free sugar in the UK; indeed European countries are able to process and market organic sugar from sugar beet crops.”  

The Wildlife Trusts’ press releases about the neonicotinoid derogations in recent years include: 

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