For the third time in as many years the NFU has applied for ‘emergency’ permission to use neonicotinoid seed treatments that have been partially banned by the EU Commission.

The NFU lodged an appeal with the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Chemical Regulations Division (CRD) on Tuesday that would allow a certain proportion of the country’s farmers access to seed treatments banned under the EU Commission’s restrictions, which were introduced in light of mounting evidence of the pesticides’ impacts on bee health.

The NFU said it took the decision in light of pest pressure on oilseed rape growers. Vice President Guy Smith said, “With the numbers of flea beetles rapidly increasing and this pest pressure continuing to be a costly problem, farmers are changing their farming practices by adapting rotations to help them deal with the situation. Some farmers have abandoned the crop altogether

“This application recognises that, because of the neonicotinoid restrictions, pest numbers have increased in recent years to such an extent that there are now areas of the country where these seed treatments are less likely to be of benefit – areas where the pest pressure is so high that the risk of losing oilseed rape is too great and control with pyrethroids is compromised by increased pesticide resistance.” He claimed, “Overreliance on pyrethroids, caused by the neonicotinoid restrictions, is exacerbating this resistance problem.”

The NFU Vice President added that the application focuses on making neonics available for areas where pressures aren’s as bad. he said the area covered by the application accounts for around 11% of the national OSR crop.

Though Mr Smith said there is “No clear evidence” the deeply controversial pesticides have any impacts on bees when used in winter oilseed rape crops, campaigners disagree with the NFU’s assessment. Last month, campaigners at the Oxford Real Farming Conference called on regulators to extend the EU’s partial ban to other crops, including wheat. Neonic restrictions are up for reevaluation this year, and there has been a huge amount of scientific literature published on the impacts of neonicotinoids since the EU Commission introduced the partial ban in 2013. On 10th January, EU health watchdog EFSA delayed publication of its assessment of neonics, saying the agency needs more time to work through the volume of research submitted in response to a call for evidence in 2015.

Though the NFU was successful in securing a derogation for neonics at the second time of asking in 2015 (amidst claims that the government had gagged its advisors on the issue), in 2016 the government rejected two requests in June and July.

Last year, Friends of the Earth’s bee campaigner Dave Timms said, “The NFU risks damaging public trust in British farming with its repeated attempts to get these dangerous pesticides back into our fields – instead they should concentrate on promoting bee-friendly ways to control crop pests.”

On Tuesday, Friends of the Earth food and farming campaigner Sandra Bell said, “With mounting scientific evidence of the threat neonicotinoids pose to our bees, the current ban on these pesticides should be strengthened - not weakened. Neonicotinoids can also harm the insects farmers need for natural pest control.  The NFU should concentrate on helping farmers to find effective alternatives to these harmful chemicals.

“The UK Government must reject this application, to help safeguard our precious pollinators and send a clear signal that EU rules aimed at protecting our environment won’t be watered down post-Brexit.”

The green group has demanded that the NFU's emergency application be made public, and also wants the CRD to immediately publish the results of the split-field study it commissioned as a condition of the successful 2015 NFU application for neonicotinoid, comparing crop losses of neonicotinoid-treated oilseed rape with untreated oilseed rape.

A pesticide expert from CRD will make a recommendation to Defra, though a member of the environment department will have the final say on any neonicotinoid derogation.

Commenting on the application, a spokesperson from the Health and Safety Executive said, "EU rules provide for consideration of emergency authorisation for the limited and controlled use of a pesticide to address a danger which cannot be contained by any other reasonable means. Authorisation is not granted automatically and must be based on good-quality scientific evidence.

"Applications are considered by the Health and Safety Executive and by the independent UK Expert Committee on Pesticides before a decision is taken by Ministers."