Last week the government lifted a ban on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in some parts of the UK. The decision was welcomed by some farmers who need the pesticides to protect their crops, mainly their oil seed rape harvests, but wildlife and environmental groups have called the decision “scandalous”.
Their outage centres around the fact that studies have proven these neonicotinoid pesticides cause significant harm to bees. Now, a petition has been launched to try and call upon government to have a proper debate over the issue.
For this to happen the campaigners need 100,000 signatures and, it seems they could soon have their wish, as already over 62,000 people have signed it.
On the website, they explain: “Neonicotinoids are pesticides in agricultural use that control pests such as aphids and grubs. The poison gets into the pollen and renders it deadly to bees and other pollinators.
“Bees are already facing sharp declines in their numbers and need help.”
Friends of the Earth campaigner Paul de Zylva added: “It's scandalous that the government has caved in to National Farmers Union (NFU) pressure and given permission for some farmers to use banned pesticides that have been shown to harm our precious bees.
“Ever more scientific evidence shows just how dangerous these chemicals are to bees and other pollinators - they should have no place in our fields and gardens.”
Their argument has been countered by the NFU, with one of their members Dr Hartfield arguing: “The majority of the research that has fuelled this debate has been based on artificial dosing studies. The big question in this area is, does this accurately reflect what happens to bees foraging in and around neonicotinoid crops?
“We don't know, but the field studies haven't shown that they are causing population declines in pollinators.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, spoke of their decision to life the ban and insisted they had only lifted the ban as a last resort.
“We have fully applied the precautionary ban on the use of neonicotinoids introduced by the EU, and we make decisions on pesticides based on the science only once the regulators are satisfied they are safe to people and the environment,” they explained.
“Based on the evidence, we have followed the advice of the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides and our chief scientist that a limited emergency authorisation of two pesticides requested by farmers should be granted in areas where oilseed rape crops are at greatest risk of pest damage.”
You can read more about the petition here.