Emergency use of three pesticides that can be deadly to bees will soon be stopped for good, the government has said.
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 on Saturday that it would be looking at “legislative options” that would legally prevent all future use of three specific neonicotinoids.
In the meantime, an application for emergency use in 2025 by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and British Sugar will still have to be considered under existing laws.
The two organisations said industry work on developing alternative ways of fighting the disease – which has caused crop losses of up to 80% in the past – was “progressing well”.
The NFU added that simply having a list of banned products for which there could be no emergency authorisation for use “could set a worrying precedent” but wildlife organisations have welcomed the government’s announcement.
Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said there was “no place in British agriculture for toxic bee-killing pesticides”.
He added that the government’s decision “must not be undermined by granting the 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 authorisation is for Cruiser SB, a neonicotinoid used as a seed treatment.
Although the application process will still go ahead under the law as it stands, the government said it would be reviewing guidance to ensure “full account” is taken of the risks to pollinators in any decision made by the Secretary of State.
Studies have shown that neonicotinoids can be extremely toxic to pollinators and, even at doses that are not directly fatal to bees, they can cause cognitive problems that impact bees’ foraging abilities and the productivity of hives.
Banning emergency authorisations was a key election pledge of Labour and the government said on Saturday that it would be consulting on the plan and identifying the potential changes to legislation needed.
‘Important step’
A future complete ban would cover neonicotinoid products containing clothianidin, imidacloprid or thiamethoxam.
Environment minister Emma Hardy said stopping their use was “an important step in supporting the long-term health of our environment and waterways, and our farming sector”.
In a joint statement, Michael Sly, the chairman of the NFU’s sugar board, and Dan Green, agriculture director for British Sugar – which supplies 60% of the UK’s sugar – said there was still an “ongoing risk” from virus yellows.
But they said the pesticide would only be used on seeds if a certain threshold of threat – set by government – was met and any use would be strictly managed.
They added that the industry was dedicated to finding “sustainable solutions” to tackling crop disease.
“We have seen developments across several areas, including in gene editing, conventional breeding techniques and several novel integrated pest management trials which are showing promise,” they said.
British Sugar has previously said it hopes virus yellows-resistant crops will be available commercially by 2026.
