The Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (Scopaff) discussed proposals for a complete outdoor ban on three neonicotinoids were discussed by member states yesterday – but no vote was taken. The issue is expected to be on the agenda again in early 2018.

Four years ago this month the European Commission restricted use of three highly bee-toxic neonicotinoid insecticides in the spring and on flowering crops.

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The UK, Ireland and France have already  indicated that they support a tougher ban but other Member States have not made their positions known.

Having committed to support the tougher ban the UK is now able to argue that banning neonicotinoids can be cost-effective as well as environmentally wise.

Mr Gove told the Guardian last month that “..the evidence had “grown” that the risk to bees and other pollinators from neonics was “greater than previously understood”.

The NFU said earlier this week that Mr Gove’s comments were “deeply worrying” and extending the neonics ban to cover all cereals and sugar beet could seriously damage yields.

Emma Hamer, NFU senior plant health adviser, said: “In our view, the weight of evidence is not enough to condemn neonics and we cannot understand the U-turn by Michael Gove.

“Rothamsted Research and the pan-European study on neonics by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology have both concluded the evidence is not strong enough for a total ban.”

The proposal was a response to a scientific opinion from the European Food Safety Authority in November 2016 that neonicotinoid seed treatments on non-flowering crops also pose a high risk to bees, due to toxic dust and the pollution of wildflowers.

Neonicotinoid insecticides include imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, thiacloprid and acetamiprid.

80 European NGOs ( non governmental organisations) in a “Save The Bees Coalition” have asked EU decision-makers to completely ban outdoor neonicotinoid seed treatments without further delay.

Friends of the Earth bee campaigner Sandra Bell said: 

“More delays to a full ban on bee-harming neonicotinoids are bad news for our precious pollinators and will cause more uncertainty for farmers.

“The science is clear: these three neonicotinoids harm bees. That’s why a tougher ban has already been backed by the UK government.

“EU governments must get off the fence by backing a ban on these chemicals, and getting on with supporting a sustainable future for farming.”