The UK government is facing growing pressure to honor its election promises to ban harmful bee-killing pesticides, as ministers consider granting another year of emergency use for neonicotinoids in 2025. Despite a pledge from Labour leader Keir Starmer to ban these chemicals, the government is leaning toward approving the use of thiamethoxam, a pesticide linked to the decline of pollinators, particularly honeybees.
Neonicotinoids, like thiamethoxam, have been banned in the European Union due to their toxicity to bees, but they have been permitted in the UK on an emergency basis since 2021. The pesticide has been repeatedly authorized for use on sugar beet crops to control virus yellows, a plant disease transmitted by aphids. However, environmental groups are urging the government to reject further use of the pesticide, which poses a serious threat to bees by disrupting their nervous systems.
Professor Dave Goulson, a leading bee expert at the University of Sussex, has stressed the devastating impact of thiamethoxam, warning that even a single teaspoon can kill over a billion bees. Craig Bennett, CEO of The Wildlife Trusts, has called the potential approval of the pesticide “a betrayal” and urged ministers to prioritize sustainable farming practices over the short-term needs of the agriculture industry.
Despite these warnings, the farming industry argues that the pesticide is essential for protecting sugar beet crops, a vital part of the UK’s agricultural economy. The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and British Sugar have applied for the emergency use of thiamethoxam, claiming that virus yellows has caused significant crop losses in recent years. They argue that the pesticide is crucial for ensuring the continued profitability of sugar beet farming.
However, critics contend that sugar beet is not a staple crop in terms of food security and that the long-term environmental damage caused by pesticide use far outweighs any short-term benefits. The decision to grant emergency authorizations for neonicotinoids every year since 2021 has been controversial, particularly as the government has acknowledged the harmful effects of the chemical on pollinators.
The UK government’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has stated that decisions on emergency pesticide applications will be made in accordance with legal requirements and scientific advice. However, last year’s approval of thiamethoxam came despite the advice of government scientists, who argued that the potential harm to pollinators outweighed the benefits of its use.
Experts from organizations like Buglife and The Wildlife Trusts have repeatedly urged the government to end reliance on harmful pesticides and offer alternative solutions to farmers. These groups advocate for more sustainable farming practices and greater support for farmers transitioning away from pesticides like thiamethoxam.
Barnaby Coupe, land use policy manager at The Wildlife Trusts, emphasized that the government’s repeated authorization of the pesticide represents a setback for wildlife protection and undermines efforts to build a more sustainable agricultural system. “It’s a deathblow for wildlife,” Coupe said, criticizing the government’s decision to prioritize corporate interests over environmental and agricultural sustainability.
The controversy surrounding neonicotinoids has sparked widespread public concern, with nearly 15,000 people urging the government to provide better support for farmers and wildlife instead of continuing to permit the use of toxic chemicals. Critics also point to the broader environmental impact of pesticides, which have been detected in rivers and waterways across the UK, harming aquatic ecosystems and further threatening biodiversity.
With the UK’s environmental commitments under increasing scrutiny, experts argue that the government must reject this latest application for thiamethoxam and focus on long-term solutions that balance the needs of farmers with the preservation of pollinators and the natural environment. The issue remains a key test of the government’s commitment to sustainable farming and its environmental promises made during the election campaign.
