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Bees: NFU makes second bid to use banned pesticides in UK fields

news release

Friends of the Earth is urging the government to stand up for Britain’s bees after the NFU confirmed that it has submitted a second request to the government for growers to use banned neonicotinoid-treated seed this autumn.

The application will be discussed by the government’s official advisor, the Expert Committee on Pesticides, which is meeting next on Tuesday 14 June.

Friends of the Earth is calling for the application to be rejected, warning that the pesticides pose a real threat to Britain’s bees.

Friends of the Earth’s Head of Campaigns, Andrew Pendleton said:

“Having last month turned down the NFU’s application to use bee-harming pesticides, it would be doubly reckless to allow their use now and also completely unnecessary. However, last year the Government caved in to their special pleading after first turning them down.

“Oilseed rape yields have actually risen since the ban on neonicotinoid pesticides was introduced, while the evidence of the harm these chemicals pose to bees has increased.

“Bees are essential for pollinating our crops – we can’t afford to gamble with their future. The Expert Committee and the Government must uphold the ban and keep these dangerous pesticides out of our fields.”

Friends of the Earth is urging the government to refuse the application, pointing out that there is no special circumstances justifying emergency authorisation:

• Recent scientific evidence has added to the concerns about the impact of the three neonicotinoid pesticides on bees and other pollinators;
• There is no evidence that the presence of Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle damage and larvae consistently translates into reduced yield – Government figures show the average UK oilseed rape yield rose nearly 7% last year, in the first harvest after the ban was introduced;
• There is no available evidence that neonicotinoid seed treatments allowed as a result of last year’s emergency authorisation were effective against Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle
• Crop losses due to Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle were lower this autumn, compared to the previous one
• Damage from slugs last year was as much of a problem as Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle yet neonics could be counter-productive to slug control by damaging the insects that eat slugs.
• Non-chemical means of controlling pests are available to farmers and need to more widely taken up.

The Great British Bee Count, organised by Friends of the Earth with support from Buglife, is running until the ends of June.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. The NFU has made a second application to use banned neonicotinoid pesticides.

2. Friends of the Earth is calling for the NFU application to be made publically available.

3. An application made by the NFU and AHDB and supported by the chemical companies Bayer and Syngenta  earlier this year to use neonicotinoids was turned down.

4. The Expert Committee on Pesticides will discuss the application and make a recommendation to the Government.

5. Three neonicotinoid pesticides were restricted throughout the EU in 2013 after scientists warned they posed a “high acute risk” to honeybees.

6. Last autumn the UK Government allowed neonicotinoid treated oilseed rape seeds to be used in four English counties following an application by the NFU

For press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust

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