
Bee-Harming Pesticides Found in Majority of English Waterways
December 02, 2024 | Source: BBC News | by Anna Lamche
Pesticides that harm bees were found in the “majority” of English waterways tested in the last year, according to data analysis by two environmental charities.
The Rivers Trust and Wildlife and Countryside Link found neonicotinoid pesticides were present in 85% of English rivers tested by the Environment Agency between 2023 and 2024.
The banned pesticide was signed off for emergency use by the previous government to combat a disease impacting sugar beet crops – a decision for which the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) is now being investigated.
On Monday, the government promised “to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides that threaten bees and other vital pollinators.”