A future complete ban would cover neonicotinoid products containing clothianidin, imidacloprid or thiamethoxam.
Environment minister Emma Hardy said stopping their use was “an important step in supporting the long-term health of our environment and waterways, and our farming sector”.
In a joint statement, Michael Sly, the chairman of the NFU’s sugar board, and Dan Green, agriculture director for British Sugar – which supplies 60% of the UK’s sugar – said there was still an “ongoing risk” from virus yellows.
But they said the pesticide would only be used on seeds if a certain threshold of threat – set by government – was met and any use would be strictly managed.
They added that the industry was dedicated to finding “sustainable solutions” to tackling crop disease.
“We have seen developments across several areas, including in gene editing, conventional breeding techniques and several novel integrated pest management trials which are showing promise,” they said.
British Sugar has previously said it hopes virus yellows-resistant crops will be available commercially by 2026.
