Sign the petition 

Read more about neonics

Thiamethoxam (known as neonics) has been banned in the UK since 2018, and banned in the EU since 2013, has been approved for 'emergency' use on British sugar beet crops for the fourth year in a row.

The Farming Minister's approval comes despite an industry commitment to end reliance on the banned pesticide by 2023. Just half a teaspoon of this chemical is predicted to kill 1.25 billion bees and pollutes our soil, rivers and waterways.

The Wildlife Trusts have launched a petition calling for better support for farmers who chose NOT to use this pesticide, helping to end the unnecessary use of neonics.

Ben McFarland, Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Director of Wildlife Conservation & Recovery, says: 

“Suffolk Wildlife Trust is deeply disappointed that the UK Government has once again approved the emergency use of the banned pesticide thiamethoxam, a neonicotinoid that is devastatingly toxic to bees and other pollinators. Thiamethoxam finds it ways into rivers and streams, including the River Waveney on the Norfolk-Suffolk border, exposing the aquatic invertebrates that live there and putting the health of wildlife in our waterways at risk.

“Almost a third of farmers in England chose not to use Thiamethoxam-treated seeds in 2022. British Sugar and NFU need to do more to support nature-friendly farming and reduce the sugar industry's reliance on toxic chemicals that compromise the health of nature in Suffolk and East Anglia. We work with many farmers and farming clusters in Suffolk who are making brilliant adaptations to their land and practices to be more nature-friendly.”

There is currently no additional support from British Sugar for farmers who choose not to use the damaging pesticide. Choosing to grow sugar without neonics is the best way to a wilder future. We want farmers to be supported to adopt non-chemical alternatives that are proven to support nature long-term.
 

Click here to sign the petition