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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the use of pesticides on (a) bees and (b) other pollinators in areas where pesticides were licensed to be used in 2022.

Before any pesticide is authorised for use in GB, it is subject to strict and science-based risk assessment carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Environmental risks, including risks to bees, are part of that assessment. Authorisations are subject to periodic review to ensure that they continue to meet modern safety standards.

Defra funds research projects examining the impacts of pesticide use on honeybees and the environment. As part of the National Honey Monitoring Scheme, we fund the analysis of honey samples aimed at assessing levels of pesticides in honey across England. This provides an estimated level of honeybee exposure to pesticides. Defra also contributes funding to the Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (POMS) which tracks changes in pollinator numbers across the UK. Additionally, the Pesticide Usage Survey allows us to track how pesticides are being used and how this changes over time.