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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to emergency authorisation of Cruiser SB on sugar beet crops in 2024, what discussions his Department has had with British Sugar on support for farmers who choose not to use Cruiser SB on their crops, including about (a) processing and (b) marketing of neonicotinoid-free sugar.

On 1st November 2023, Defra hosted a roundtable with members of the British sugar industry and environmental NGOs to discuss British Sugar’s action plan, the Virus Yellows Pathway to find alternative methods to neonicotinoids in controlling Virus Yellows in the British sugar crop. The roundtable allowed British Sugar to present their work to date, as well as allowing the opportunity for Defra and our external partners to encourage further work in this area.

Of particular emphasis was the need for British Sugar to encourage peer-to-peer learning between sugar beet farmers. This would allow farmers who opt not to use neonicotinoids to share knowledge and help expedite the transition to neonicotinoid free farming, which I encourage British Sugar to take forward at pace.