Close up of a honey bee on a yellow flower

Neonicotinoids: How Pesticide Giants Influence Research on Bee Impacts

The chemical giants which make products linked to the decline of the wild bee population enjoy "substantial influence" on research around pesticides at UK universities, according to leading scientists.

September 7, 2016 | Source: Truthout | by Joe Sandler Clarke, Energydesk

The chemical giants which make products linked to the decline of the wild bee population enjoy "substantial influence" on research around pesticides at UK universities, according to leading scientists.

The comments come as Energydesk reveals that Bayer and Syngenta have given more than £2 million to UK universities for research related to pesticides and plant sciences between 2011 to the start of 2016.

The data could add to concerns that universities will become more dependent on industry funding as new EU science backing is cut back.

Dr Christopher Connolly, a reader in neurobiology at Dundee University, said he believes that the two companies already enjoy too big a voice in the discussion around the controversial insecticide known as neonicotinoids: "Syngenta and Bayer have a substantial amount of influence in the debate."

Dr Connolly recently led research which found that two of the world's leading neonicotinoids, manufactured by Bayer and Syngenta, harmed bumblebees.

Recently, a dramatic new study by the UK's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology suggested that England's wild bee population had gone down by 30% over the past decade while the use of neonicotinoids has skyrocketed.

Lead researcher Dr Nick Isaac was blunt about the findings: "Neonicotinoids are harmful. We can be very confident about that."

A spokesperson for Bayer told Energydesk: "Bayer has and will continue to fund university science in the areas that matter to the company. And, of course, we keep engaging in the debate about bee health like many other interested parties do…. 

"As a bee health company for over 25 years, providing treatments for Varroa and other bee health issues all around the world, we will continue to actively promote bee health."

Whilst Syngenta told us: "Like other leading companies Syngenta is a major collaborator with many academic and public institutions in the UK.

"These collaborations support the ongoing development of innovation and science in the area of plant sciences."