The government has just given the green light for bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides to be used in the UK. It's up to us to reverse this dangerous decision.

“We cannot afford to put our pollinator populations at risk.” These were the words of Michael Gove when he introduced the ban on bee-killing pesticides in 2018. Fast forward to this year, and the government has just given the green light for bee-killing pesticides to be used in the UK. The pesticide being used has been banned for being poisonous to bees, but it’s just been approved to help grow sugar beet in the spring.

Bees need our help – and we need theirs

This is about bees, but it’s also about us. If we keep harming bees, we risk our food supplies. About a third of our food is dependent on pollinators, of which bees are some of the most important.

A third of bee populations are already shrinking. We can’t allow pesticides to destroy our environment and kill any more bees.

So what’s changed since the government banned bee-killing pesticides in 2018? Well, it’s certainly not the science. Pesticides, including neonicotinoids, are still bad news for bees. Studies have shown that these pesticides can affect bees’ navigational abilities and breeding success, and they are unsurprisingly ravaging other insects as well.

The government say they’re allowing emergency use to protect growers of sugar beet. But this is a short-sighted and dangerous approach to take. We rely on bees to help pollinate lots of crops like apples, beans, squashes and almonds.

The Environment Minister can reverse this decision

George Eustice has the power to change all of this. As Environment Minister, he can show he’s on the side of nature by enforcing a total ban on bee-harming pesticides. He’s approved this emergency use of a deadly pesticide, but we need to remind him that we’re in the middle of a climate and nature emergency.

 

Source: GreenPeace - website