Government gives green light for use of bee-killing pesticide

DEFRA has again approved the use of a bee-killing pesticide on sugar beet crops in 2023, in what it has described as an "emergency temporary authorisation".

Despite neonicotinoids being banned for agricultural use in the UK and the EU in 2018 due to their devastating impact on bees, this is the third year in a row that the banned substance thiamethoxam will be applied to sugar beet crops.

The move has been granted on the basis of the continuing risk to sugar beet from yellows viruses. In its statement, DEFRA revealed that 25% of the national sugar beet crop was lost to the viruses in 2020, resulting in £67 million of total economic loss.

The bee-killing neonicotinoid thiamethoxam, is to be used on UK sugar beet crops again in 2023 (Gilles San Martin / commons.wikimedia.org).

DEFRA has attached strict conditions to the emergency authorisation including only allowing for application if independent modelling predicts a virus incidence of 63% or above. If the virus threshold is not met, then the neonicotinoid treated seed will not be used. Furthermore, if the threshold is met and limited use is allowed, then further strict conditions will be applied to minimise risks to the environment. This includes a maximum number of seeds planted per hectare and restrictions on farmers planting flowering crops in subsequent years in any field where treated seed has been used, in order to allow the chemical to break down.

Wildlife charities have responded strongly to the announcement, with The Wildlife Trusts saying they were "dismayed, disappointed, and deeply concerned" by the decision, adding that a single teaspoon of the pesticide could kill 1.25 billion bees.