Overturn the decision to allow use of neonicotinoid pesticides on sugar crops

The decision needs to be reversed. The health of our environment must be put first.

Defra has re-authorised the emergency use of thiamethoxam to protect sugar beet crops from the Yellow Virus. However there is widespread evidence of harmful effects of this neonicotinoid on bees and other pollinators, and its use in the European Union is banned for this reason. Bees and other pollinators are vitally important for the UK’s ecosystem, and they are already in decline. The decision needs to be reversed.

The Government’s first priority with regard to pesticides is to ensure that they will not harm people or pose unacceptable risks to the environment. We remain fully persuaded that the widespread use of neonicotinoids should not be permitted. This emergency authorisation, granted as a seed treatment for the 2023 sugar beet crop, allows a single use of a neonicotinoid on a single crop under very strict conditions to minimise any potential risks to pollinators and the wider environment.

We recognise the potential danger of an outbreak of Yellows Virus on the sugar beet crop and the impact this could have on UK production of sugar. After careful consideration, issuing the emergency authorisation was regarded a necessary measure to protect the crop, given the absence of effective alternative solutions to contain an outbreak. The decision was not taken lightly and was based on thorough assessment of the environmental and economic risks and benefits, having considered advice provided by the Health and Safety Executive and Expert Committee on Pesticides, Defra economists and the Chief Scientific Advisor.

Protecting pollinators is a Government priority. We are already taking action with our partners to implement the provisions of the National Pollinator Strategy, and this year we will publish the National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides (NAP). This will set out Defra’s ambition to minimise the risks and impacts of pesticides to the environment and human health, at the core of which will be actions to increase the uptake of integrated pest management (IPM). IPM aims to diversify crop protection and reduce reliance on the use of chemical pesticides by making use of lower risk alternatives and promoting natural processes.

This year the Government has also introduced new funding to support the uptake of integrated pest management approaches within the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme. As part of the new IPM standard, farmers will be paid to complete an IPM assessment and produce an IPM plan; establish and maintain flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips, leading to the creation of habitats for natural predators (including insects and birds) of plant pests; establish a companion crop and to move towards insecticide-free farming.

Looking to the future, the Government is clear that the industry must develop alternative, sustainable approaches to protect sugar beet crops from these viruses.. The development of alternative, sustainable approaches to protect sugar beet crops from these viruses is paramount. This includes the development of resistant plant varieties, measures to improve crop hygiene and husbandry and alternative pesticides. British Sugar and the British Beet Research Organisation are undertaking a programme of work developing these alternatives, which include Yellows Virus specific IPM techniques, and the Government is closely monitoring the progress of this.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs