Farming News - Government rejects neonicotinoid science

Government rejects neonicotinoid science

 

In the face of overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary, the UK government restated its belief that neonicotinoid pesticides are not harming bees or other pollinators in the UK.

 

In its response to a report by the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), the government said that, while it is obliged to abide by an EU moratorium on certain agricultural uses of the pesticides, it would not be pushing for a ban on neonicotinoid ingredients in gardening products or introduce a scheme to monitor pollinator health, as had been advised.

 

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The EAC, a group of MPs tasked with assessing government policy in terms of sustainability, released a damning report dealing with the controversy around neonicotinoid pesticides and the government's handling of evidence in April. The government response used a lack of definitive evidence of harm caused by the pesticides to support its reluctance to act on neonicotinoids. However, in April, Committee members accused Defra ministers of displaying "extraordinary complacency" and wilfully ignoring the precautionary principle, which forms the basis of scientific thought on environmental protection.

 

At the height of EU negotiations on the deeply controversial pesticides, while official opinion was split on the neonicotinoid issue, the UK government commissioned its own research into the pesticides and their effects on pollinators. The study was never peer reviewed, but instead was released directly onto the internet by Defra. An analysis of the study by the Commission's scientific watchdog EFSA revealed yawning flaws and found it to be inadmissible as evidence to inform the debate.


Committee chair accuses Defra of ignoring weight of scientific evidence

 

Reacting on Tuesday, shortly after the government delivered its response to EAC's Pesticides and Pollinators report, Committee chair Joan Walley MP highlighted the "mounting peer-reviewed evidence" supporting the case for action on neonicotinoids; she said, "I am disappointed that the Government has not accepted the great weight of scientific evidence that points to the need for the ban on these pesticides in line with the precautionary principle."

 

She continued, lambasting the obtuse decision not to back up agricultural restrictions with a crackdown on domestic use of neonicotinoids in gardening products, "There is no justification for people continuing to use these products on their Dahlias when they could be having a detrimental effect on pollinator populations. Suspending the sale of neonicotinoids for home use would create an urban safe haven for bees."

 

Ms Walley also expressed disappointment over the refusal to introduce monitoring. She said,  "The Committee will maintain its watching brief in the run-up to the 2015 review of the moratorium and will judge the available evidence on its merits; we hope that the Government will adopt a similar approach."

 

A Defra spokesperson claimed on Tuesday that the government would not introduce a monitoring scheme for insect pollinators, as recommended by the Committee, as it already has a comprehensive monitoring scheme in place. The spokesperson elaborated, "It's not true that we've refused to introduce a monitoring scheme. Thanks to the UK's many expert volunteers we have some of the best data on pollinators in the world and we are looking to build on this as part of our National Pollinator Strategy."

 

Environmental NGOs have campaigned successfully to increase public awareness around the neonicotinoid debate. As a result, despite Defra's failure to support a ban on neonicotinoids in gardening products, many retailers, including B&Q, Wickes and Homebase have responded to customer pressure and voluntarily withdrawn non-professional plant protection products containing the chemicals.


Pesticide manufacturers mount legal challenge

 

Neonicotinoids are a relatively new family of systemic pesticides, which have quickly risen in popularity to become the most widely used group for a number of major crop types. They are widely used on oilseed rape, cereals, maize, sugar beet and crops grown in greenhouses.

 

The moratorium on neonicotinoids, which was finally secured by the EU Commission in April following a number of hung votes over the preceding months, will prevent the use of imidacloprid, clothianidin and TMX on crops attractive to bees. It will come into force in December and last for two years. In August Syngenta and Bayer, the two EU manufacturers of neonicotinoids, initiated legal action in the European Court against the Commission's decision.

 

Commenting on the government response to EAC, Defra's spokesperson added on Tuesday, "We did not support the EU's neonicotinoids ban. We believe more evidence is needed, so we are using the period of the ban to carry out further research into neonicotinoids and working with farmers, industry and scientists to protect pollinators."

 

The NFU backed Defra's "balanced and sensible assessment of the science" on Tuesday; horticulture advisor Chris Hadfield credited Defra with "acknowledging the importance of pollinators… the value to society of food production and the underpinning role pesticides play in that production." He continued, "These benefits have to be part of the consideration when managing the risks posed to the environment by pesticides."

 

However, Nick Mole of the Pesticide Action Network lambasted the government for "toeing the pesticide company line". Mr Mole said, "This is a pretty pathetic response. Defra has learned nothing from the EAC's report and its position has not changed despite overwhelming evidence of the effects of neonicotinoids. This is what we've come to expect from Defra – a rejection of science that doesn't fit with its ideological viewpoint."

 

Sandra Bell, nature campaigner at green charity Friends of the Earth, which has also campaigned against neonicotinoids, said "The Government has again turned a blind eye to the overwhelming scientific evidence on one of the main causes of massive bee-decline in the UK; although it begrudgingly accepts that it must follow the temporary EU ban on these powerful chemicals.

 

"Instead of defending these pesticides and their manufacturers, Ministers should help farmers reduce their use and develop techniques to maintain yields. The Government’s promised National Pollinator Strategy must tackle all causes of bee decline including the use of chemical pesticides."