Reversal on bee killing pesticide ban

As the ink is still drying on the Brexit agreements the UK Government is already causing alarm by breaking their promise to uphold the ban on the use of neonicotinoids.

An EU ban was introduced several years ago following research linking the use of the chemicals with declines in bees and other pollinators. At that time Michael Gove, then the environment secretary, stated that;

"Unless the evidence base changes again, the government will keep these restrictions in place after we have left the EU.”

In 2018 there was an attempt to temporarily reverse the ban which was rejected on the grounds it would "cause unacceptable effects to bees in flowering crops and flowering plants in field margins”.

So what has changed, have those effects and risks gone away, will the bees suddenly now be fine? It is impossible to believe and that is why we stand with campaigners who are asking the UK Government to reverse this decision and to explore non-chemical alternatives instead.

This is our time to stop working against nature before it's too late.

You can add your voice to a petition started to ask the Government to continue the ban on these bee killing pesticides here.

You can read the response from the Wildlife Trusts here.

You can read a letter addressed to George Eustice, Environment secretary, from a group of organisations united in seeking the ban to be upheld here. 

You can sign a petition from Avaaz here.