The government has announced it has rejected an application for the emergency authorisation of a neonicotinoid pesticide on sugar beet in England, due to its inherent toxicity to pollinators such as bees.
The decision marks the first time in five years since a government has refused to authorise the emergency use of Cruiser SB – a neonicotinoid pesticide containing the banned thiamethoxam – on the sugar beet crop.
Neonicotinoids, also know as neonics, are among the most widely-used insecticides globally and are reportedly detrimental to bees and other pollinator species.
Thiamethoxam is particularly lethal to pollinators, with one teaspoonful capable of killing 1.25 billion bees, according to research published by Pesticide Action Network UK.
Unlike contact pesticides, which remain on the surface area of treated foliage, neonicotinoids, which are examples of systemic pesticides, are absorbed by the plant and transferred throughout its ecosystem, remaining active and toxic, for weeks thereafter.
Pesticide
The government has pointed to the “clear and abundant evidence” demonstrating the pesticides toxicity to bees, claiming that even at minimal doses, it can inhibit bees’ foraging capabilities and productivity levels, as a means of justifying its controversial decision.
The government conducted “robust assessments of environmental, health and economic risks and benefits” prior to its decision, which it took following consultation with the Health and Safety Executive, the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides and the UK’s chief scientific advisor.
The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) also noted that bees and other pollinators are “crucial to the agricultural economy” with the economic benefits of pollination to crop production in the UK estimated at £500 million annually.
Environment minister, Emma Hardy said: “Britain is currently one of the most nature depleted countries in the world.
“This government is committed to protecting bees from toxic neonicotinoid pesticides, while working with our farmers to find new ways to protect crops and support a profitable farming sector.
“We recognise the threat that virus yellows (VY) can pose to sugar beet growers, and we will continue to support industry to develop alternatives to neonicotinoids on sugar beet that are effective at high levels of yellows virus infection.”
Growers
The decision has angered the growers’ sector, who apply for the emergency use of the pesticide every year as a means of countering the incidence of the VY, which affects the sugar beet crop.
NFU Sugar Board chair, Michael Sly, said: “Following the devastating impact that VY disease has had on the British sugar beet industry in recent years, we are disappointed that our emergency application has not been granted.
“We must remember that any seed treatment would only have been used if an independent, scientific forecast of pest pressure had surpassed a threshold of severity to warrant its use.
“Recent VY disease pressures have caused crop losses of up to 80%, which has put farm businesses under huge pressure, at a time when the sector is already struggling with high production costs, extreme weather and the transition to Environmental Land Management schemes,” he added.
The association added that as a result of not having this emergency application granted, growers will not have a single viable solution to protect their crop in 2025 in the event of severe disease pressure.
“As an industry, we are asking Defra to meet us to discuss immediate support for our Virus Yellows Resilience Package to mitigate any threat posed by a high VY year in 2025 and to help us move at pace on some of the workstreams and trials in our VY pathway,” Sly continued.
The government has reportedly provided research funding through the Farming Futures Fund to assess the potential for precision breeding in producing virus-resistant varieties of sugar beet, as a sustainable solution to the issue.
It has also reinstated its support for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques through the Sustainable Farming Incentive, which was designed to help farmers reduce the need for chemical pesticides while boosting crop health and resilience.
