The Pesticide Collaboration calls for the UK Government to end the cycle of permitting the ‘emergency’ use of banned pesticide thiamethoxam.

The government is once again ignoring the advice of its own experts. This year the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP) advised against allowing thiamethoxam – a highly bee-toxic neonicotinoid – to be used due to the potential adverse effects on honeybees and other pollinators which outweigh any likely benefits.

But today, the government has authorised its use for another year, despite calls from civil society, including from The Wildlife Trusts, to break this cycle of yearly authorisations.