This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament
Petition Overturn the decision to allow the use of neonicotinoid pesticides
Defra has granted farmers in England the temporary right to use the insecticide thiamethoxam for a 120-day period. This pesticide is proven to be harmful to bees, which are vital pollinators and already suffering population decline. The decision needs to be reversed.
More details
No one crop is important enough to jeopardise bees, without which our entire food system would be at risk. This pesticide is banned in the EU on the basis of its proven harm to pollinators and to use it even for a short period will contaminate soil and water. Although bees are dormant during winter the 120 day period will include the spring when they emerge to begin foraging.
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Government responded
This response was given on 8 August 2022
The use of neonicotinoids is prohibited other than via an emergency authorisation, in emergency circumstances, with strict conditions to mitigate risks to bees and other pollinators.
Read the response in full
The Government is fully persuaded that the widespread use of neonicotinoids should not be permitted. The exceptional temporary use (in England only) of a neonicotinoid pesticide treatment on the 2022 sugar beet crop is the outcome of an emergency authorisation, granted with very strict conditions to mitigate risks to bees and other pollinators.
The Government's landmark Environment Act 2021 commits to halting the decline in biodiversity by 2030. Developing and implementing policies that maximise the use of alternatives to pesticides, while ensuring pests and pesticide resistance are managed effectively, will play an important role in achieving this.
Emerging sugar beet seedlings are vulnerable to predation by aphids which have the potential to spread beet yellows virus. Sugar beet crops have been severely affected, with 2020 yields down by a quarter on previous years. Other pesticide and organic treatments are not sufficiently effective in controlling the virus.
The 2022 emergency authorisation was granted subject to strict conditions including an initial threshold for use, to ensure the seed treatment is used only if the predicted virus incidence is at or above 19% of the national crop according to independent modelling.
Further conditions include a prohibition on any flowering crop being planted in the same field where the product has been used within 32 months of a treated sugar beet crop. To further mitigate the risks, the maximum amount of treatment approved for use is 6% of the quantity of active substance applied on a range of crops in 2016 before neonicotinoids were prohibited.
63% of the UK’s sugar comes from domestic production of sugar beet which could be at risk if a significant amount of the national crop is infected. The strictly time limited emergency authorisation of this neonicotinoid treatment provides emergency protection against this virus, which could significantly impact yields of the sugar beet crop while the beet industry develops alternative solutions.
The EU restricted three neonicotinoid pesticides, including thiamethoxam, in 2018 due to evidence of their harm to pollinators. The UK supported this move. Emergency authorisations of pesticides are used by countries across Europe. Twelve EU countries including Belgium, Denmark and Spain have granted emergency authorisations for neonicotinoid seed treatments since 2018. The UK’s approach to the use of emergency authorisations has not changed as a result of the UK’s exit from the EU and we applied the most stringent conditions for its emergency use.
Pollinators are a priority for this government, and we are taking action alongside many partners to implement the National Pollinator Strategy’s provisions. The National Pollinator Strategy Action Plan was published in May 2022 and sets out more specifically how we will continue to act to fulfil the vision, aims and objectives of the Strategy, over the period 2021-2024.
In the long-term, British Sugar has a plan for the development of alternative approaches to managing yellows virus, including breeding resistant strains of sugar beet through traditional and potential gene editing routes. The Government is also incentivising sustainable approaches to pest management, including through Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approaches.
IPM is a holistic approach which carefully considers all available plant protection methods and keeps the use of pesticides to levels that are ecologically and economically justified. In addition, we are developing an IPM standard through the Sustainable Farming Incentive, planned for introduction in 2023, which will support and encourage farmers to take up IPM.
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Related activity
Use of neonicotinoids and the impact on bees debated by MPs
MPs debated the use of neonicotinoids and the impact on bees, on Wednesday 2 February in Westminster Hall. The debate was led by Luke Pollard MP.
Read a transcript of the debate: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2022-02-02/debates/42B1B3D6-170B-41EC-BC78-8AEF03423466/BeesNeonicotinoids
Watch the debate: https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/4ac5065b-3b38-480c-8865-39f8a6288882
This was a general debate. General debates allow MPs to debate important issues, however they do not end in a vote nor can they change the law.
Find out more about how Parliamentary debates work: https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/business/debates/
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MPs debate the use of bee-killing pesticides in agriculture
On Wednesday 1 February, Luke Pollard MP led a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament on the use of bee-killing pesticides in agriculture.
-Watch the debate
-Read the transcript
What are Westminster Hall debates?
Westminster Hall is the second Chamber of the House of Commons.
Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a government minister. Any MP can take part in a Westminster Hall debate.
Debates in Westminster Hall take place on ‘general debate' motions expressed in neutral terms. These motions are worded ‘That this House has considered [a specific matter]'. This means that Westminster debates don’t end in a vote on a particular action or decision.
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MPs investigate insect decline and impact on food security
A group of MPs called the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee is looking into insect decline and its impact on UK food security.
Read the Committee's press notice announcing this work.
The Committee is considering points including:
- The current evidence base on insect abundance and diversity in the UK.
- The drivers of insect loss, including the effect of pesticides on pollinators and their predators.
- What can be done to protect insect populations and the additional policy levers that could be used to reverse declines.
What happens next?
The Committee is conducting oral evidence sessions to hear from experts in the sector.
An evidence session is a hearing where MPs ask key experts, such as Ministers, academics and/or campaigners, questions on a particular topic. These experts are called "witnesses" and they help MPs to gain a deeper understanding of the topic.
The Committee will then consider all the evidence it has taken and publish a report of its findings with recommendations to the Government on any changes that might be needed.
For more information about the inquiry, visit the Committee's inquiry page.
What is the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee?
The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee is a cross-party group of MPs that looks into the Government's use of science, technology and research.
Find out more about the committee on its website:
https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/135/science-and-technology-committee
Follow the committee on X, formerly known as Twitter, for updates on its work:
https://twitter.com/CommonsSITC
The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee is a select committee. Find out how select committees work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_2RDuDs44c
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Sign up to the Your UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference.
MPs debate the environmental impact of neonicotinoids and other pesticides
On Tuesday 5 March, MPs had a debate on the environmental impact of neonicotinoids and other pesticides. The debate was led by Samantha Dixon MP in Westminster Hall.
Our page about the debate includes:
- Links to watch the full debate or read the transcript
- Links to parliamentary resources
- A Westminster Hall debate explainer
What is a Westminster Hall debate?
Westminster Hall is the second chamber of the House of Commons. Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to raise local and national issues and receive a response from a government minister. Westminster Hall debates are general debates that do not end in a vote.
Visual explainer: Westminster Hall debates
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