The Wildlife Foundation said: “We need to take urgent action to restore the population of insects, not promises to worsen the ecological crisis.”
The government announced that a poisonous insecticide whose toxicity has been banned by the European Union can be used on sugar beets in the UK.
The decision to allow the temporary use of pesticides aroused the anger of nature lovers and environmentalists, who accused the minister of succumbing to pressure from farmers.
They said that during the biodiversity crisis, when at least half of the insects in the world disappear, the government should do everything possible to save the bees, not kill them.
Environment Minister George Eustice agreed this year to allow a product containing the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam to treat sugar beet seeds to protect crops from viruses.
Eustis’s department said that a virus drastically reduced sugar beet production last year, and similar conditions this year may bring similar dangers.
The officials pointed out the conditions for the “limited and controlled” use of pesticides, and the minister stated that he had agreed to an emergency authorization of the pesticide for up to 120 days. The British Sugar Industry and the National Farmers Union have applied to the government for permission to use it.
But the Wildlife Foundation says that neonicotinoids pose a major risk to the environment, especially for bees and other pollinators.
Studies have shown that one-third of the UK’s bee population has disappeared within ten years, but as many as three-quarters of crops are pollinated by bees.
A 2017 study of 33 rapeseed sites in the United Kingdom, Germany and Hungary found that there is a link between higher levels of neonicotine residues and bee reproduction, with fewer queens in bumblebee hives and egg cells in individual hives less.
The following year, the European Union agreed to ban the use of three neonicotinoids outdoors to protect bees.
But last year’s study found that since 2018, European countries (including France, Belgium and Romania) had previously used dozens of “emergency” permits to administer neonicotinoid chemicals.
There is evidence that pesticides can damage the brain development of bees, weaken the immune system and may prevent bees from flying.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization said in a 2019 report that “the evidence is increasing rapidly” and “strongly shows that the current level of environmental pollution caused by neonicotinoids” is causing “large-scale detriment to bees” influences”. And other beneficial insects”.
The Wildlife Foundation wrote on Twitter: “Bad news for bees: The government succumbed to pressure from the National Farmers Federation and agreed to use extremely harmful pesticides.
“The government is aware of the obvious harm caused by neonicotinoids to bees and other pollinators. Only three years ago, it supported the entire EU’s restrictions on them.
“Insects play a vital role, such as the pollination of crops and wildflowers and the recycling of nutrients, but many insects have suffered a sharp decline.”
The trust also added that there is evidence that since 1970, at least 50% of the world’s insects have been lost, and 41% of insect species are now threatened with extinction.
“We need to take urgent action to restore the population of insects, not the promise of worsening the ecological crisis.”
The Ministry of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said that sugar beets are only grown in one of four sugar beet processing plants in eastern England.
It was reported last month that the National Farmers’ Federation had organized a letter to Mr. Eustis urging him to allow the use of neonicotine called “Cruiser SB” in England this spring.
The message to the members said: “It’s incredible to participate in this sport” and added: “Please avoid sharing on social media.”
Thiamethoxam is designed to protect beets from insects at an early stage, but critics warn that it will not only kill bees when washed, but also harm organisms in the soil.
NFU Sugar Committee Chairman Michael Sly (Michael Sly) stated that the pesticide can be used in a limited and controlled manner only if the scientific threshold is reached independently.
Virus yellowing disease has had an unprecedented impact on the sugar beet crops in the UK. Some growers have lost up to 80% yield. Therefore, this authorization is urgently needed to combat this disease. It is essential to ensure that sugar beet growers in the UK continue to have viable farm operations. ”
A Defra spokesperson said: “Only under special circumstances where no other reasonable means can be used to control pests and diseases, emergency permits for pesticides can be granted. All European countries use emergency authorizations.
“Pesticides can only be used when we consider it harmless to human and animal health and without unacceptable risks to the environment. The temporary use of this product is strictly limited to non-flowering crops and will be strictly controlled to minimize Potential risks to pollinators.”
This article was updated on January 13, 2021 to include information about the relatively widespread use of these pesticides in the European Union and in more countries other than those previously mentioned. The title has also been changed to say that pesticides are “banned” by the European Union. It has been said in the EU before.
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