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Government decision to reject application to use banned neonicotinoid pesticides welcomed

news release

Forthcoming Agriculture Bill must help farmers boost nature, says Friends of the Earth

Responding to the UK government’s rejection of an application for emergency authorisation to use two products containing banned neonicotinoids to treat sugar beet seed next year, Friends of the Earth nature campaigner, Sandra Bell said:

“It’s great news for our environment and wildlife that the UK government has rejected this attempt to bring ‘banned’ neonicotinoid pesticides back into action.

“The scientific evidence on the risk to our environment posed by these chemicals is clear. These bee-harming insecticides can linger in the environment and turn up in flowering crops and wildflowers, which poses a huge risk to the health of bees and other pollinators.

“The next step in the fight for nature is for the government and industry to invest in developing safe and effective alternatives to insecticides, such as building up natural predators.

“For this to happen, measures to help farmers boost nature must be included in the Agriculture Bill, with a firm commitment to long term funding.”

ENDS

1. EU member states voted to extend an existing ban on three neonicotinoids to cover additional crops such as wheat and sugar beet in April 2018 following a thorough review of the impact on bees arising from the use of these insecticides by the European Food Safety Authority. The extended ban will come into effect in December.

 

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