Neonicotinoids: Regulation

(asked on 24th January 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to ban the use of products which contain thiamethoxam on areas used to grow crops.


Answered by
Victoria Prentis Portrait
Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
This question was answered on 31st January 2022

In 2018, the UK, along with other EU Member States, supported the withdrawal of approval for the outdoor use of three neonicotinoid pesticides (clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam) on any crops, including non-flowering crops such as sugar beet, due to the risk of harmful effects on pollinators. Although they have been withdrawn, emergency authorisations for neonicotinoids and other pesticides may be issued for limited and controlled use in special circumstances where diseases, pests or weeds cannot be controlled by any other reasonable means.

Our support for the overall ban remains the same and use of this product will only take place if a threshold is met and will be strictly limited to a non-flowering crop and tightly controlled to minimise any potential risk to pollinators.

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