Campaign Success As UK Government Upholds Ban on Emergency Use of Bee-Killing Pesticide

January 24, 2025 | Source: RSPB

The ban of a neonicotinoid pesticide – which is highly toxic to bees – has been upheld, refusing the application for their emergency use in England. The pesticide is used on sugar beet to tackle a disease spread by aphids and has previously been allowed as an emergency measure to protect crops despite a ban on its use in the EU and the UK.

The RSPB, along with other environmental organisations, has been calling for a total ban to be enforced and alternative nature-friendly measures to be used instead. We’re delighted that the Government has listened to the science and that the application for use this year has been rejected.