On 18th January 2024, the UK Government’s Farming Minister, Sherwood MP Mark Spencer, 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 sugar beet crops in England. 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 these rivers at even further risk.
Erin McDaid, Head of Communications at Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, says:
"The Farming Minister’s decision to authorise use of a banned neonicotinoid pesticide on sugar beet for a fourth consecutive year is a serious blow for wildlife and the wrong decision. It signals a backwards move and is not an example of evidence-based decision making. It is also a betrayal of those farmers who are committed to producing food sustainably.”
Erin continued, "It is shocking that on the same day that the Office for Environmental Protection published a report highlighting that the UK Government is still not on track to meet its own environmental commitments, politicians are still putting short-term corporate profits above nature and the long-term sustainability of farm businesses.”