In March, Dan Green, agriculture director for British Sugar, said the pesticide was needed “to protect the UK sugar beet crop and farmer livelihoods”.
But environmental charities are calling on the government “enforce and extend” the ban on the use of Neonicotinoid to protect plant and animal health. The charities are also calling for better river monitoring by the agency.
Dr Richard Gill, principle researcher at Imperial College, said that while high concentrations of neonicotinoids can kill bees, smaller quantities can also have “cumulative, sub-lethal” effects on the pollinators, changing their behaviour and even impacting their genes.
Under the influence of neonicotinoids, bees can struggle to fly, and “seem to bring back less pollen” to their hives, Dr Gill said.
The latest analysis of Environment Agency figures comes against a backdrop of declining bee populations across the country.
A number of factors – including changes in the use of agricultural land, urbanisation, the impact of climate change, pesticide use and emerging pathogens – means many bee species are “not doing very well”, Dr Gill said.
“It is concerning that we’re finding these pesticides in the rivers,” Dr Gill said, adding it was important to monitor the concentration of the chemicals in the waterways.
