UK government secretly grants use of bee-killing pesticides, breaking international laws

Bees and other pollinators play an essential role in ensuring biodiversity and a healthy ecosystem.

They are essential in the reproduction, and therefore survival, of many plants which, in turn, serve as food and shelter for a variety of animals.

They are also critical to our food security, providing vital human nutrition. In the past 50 years, there has been a 300 per cent increase in the volume of global agricultural production dependent on pollinators.

“Without bees, we would be unable to produce much of the food we take for granted,” according to Barnaby Coupe, Land Use Policy Manager at The Wildlife Trusts.

“From everyday staples such as broccoli and apples through to seasonal treats like strawberries - a third of total food production is dependent on insect pollination,” he adds.

But sadly, these buzzing pollinators are in decline.

They have been hit hard by the loss and fragmentation of the habitats they depend on, such as wildflower meadows and hedgerows, Coupe explains. Crucially - this includes the widespread and unnecessary use of toxic pesticides.

Extensive use of agricultural pesticides play a major role in the decline of pollinators, which have suffered severe losses in recent years.

Therefore last month’s decision by UK Environment Secretary, George Eustice, to grant ‘emergency’ use of the banned bee-killing pesticide, thiamethoxam, for sugar beet in England, was met with disappointment and disbelief.

This went directly against the advice of government experts, who say there is an unacceptable risk to honey bees and other pollinators from using this chemical, which is used to control virus-carrying aphids. Aphids are small bugs which feed by sucking sap from plants.

In response, lawyers for the Wildlife Trusts are