Bees are feeling the sting of toxic pesticides – it is time for a total ban

Approaching the first day of spring, things are feeling buzzy. Finally, some green shoots have appeared in my garden, and even more welcome is the discussion of bees in parliament. Specifically, MPs are debating the impact of pesticides on these essential pollinators.

We need bees. One in three mouthfuls of food globally depends on our pollinators, yet in many parts of the world, they are in a dangerous decline. Here in England, recent data suggests we’ve seen a 60 per cent drop in the number of flying insects over the past 20 years. You don’t have to be an ecologist or a mathematician to be concerned about the direction of travel.

Over a decade ago, I started getting involved in campaigning to save the bees, resulting in the ban of neonicotinoids, a particularly harmful category of pesticides, back in 2018. Whilst chemical pollution isn’t at the top of most people’s list of concerns today, a single teaspoon of neonicotinoid is enough to administer a lethal dose to 1.25 billion bees, which would fill four lorry loads with their dead bodies.

Three years ago, I discovered that the government had been quietly starting to allow their use again through emergency authorisations. I was shocked and angry, so started a campaign called Stand by Bees, rallying over a hundred businesses and charities to join a coalition. It turns out people do care after all.

Unfortunately, the government are still dragging their feet over actually stopping the use of these pesticides. Every year since 2020, they have granted so-called emergency authorisations to use it on British sugar beet, which has been suffering from loss of yield due to diseases spread by aphids, known as Virus Yellows.

Each time, the government has taken the side of industry over the Health and Safety Executive agency and its own expert scientific committee, who found on balance that the potential adverse effects to honeybees and other pollinators outweigh the likely benefits.

The sticky issue is that one company, British Sugar, is the only major purchaser and processor of the UK’s sugar beet crop. And despite initially declaring in 2020 that they would have an alternative to neonicotinoids ready in three years, to date no clear progress has been made.  Defra’s own chief scientific adviser, Professor Gideon Henderson, says that longer-term solutions “will take at least five years to develop”.

The fact is there are already alternative sugar beet varieties that are more tolerant to Virus Yellows, that offer farmers lower yields but would help prevent additional toxic chemical use.

And increasingly sugar beet farmers are choosing not to use neonicotinoids, even after they were given the option. In 2022, the number of farmers who snubbed the pesticide was 29 per cent – this jumped to 40 per cent in 2023.

This isn’t just a farming issue. How we treat our countryside and the environment matters to a wide range of businesses, across a variety of sectors. For example, as a UK manufacturer and retailer, my own business relies on sourcing natural ingredients that depend on healthy ecosystems and pollinator populations.

We benefit from the trusted reputation that Britain has built up over many years as a leader in quality standards and sustainability, particularly in major export markets such as Japan. Watering down pesticide protections may provide a short-term boost to British Sugar and some farmers – the cost to growers during the last major outbreak of Virus Yellows in 2020 was around £43m – but it isn’t good for British business as a whole.

In fact, the government’s own estimate is that pollinators carry an approximate value of £690m to the UK economy. When I met recently to discuss this with the current farming minister, Mark Spencer, I was not impressed – he trotted out the same excuses with no clear plans to change.

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But there have been some sweeter moments, because I’ve realised there are politicians across all parties that are prepared to stand up for nature. Before the recent debate in Westminster, Labour’s shadow environment minister, Daniel Zeichner, made a pledge not to repeat the mistake of allowing future exemptions on sugar beet.

It is a challenging time for farmers. They need to earn their own livelihood and help maintain national food security, while also dealing with the climate crisis and being asked to serve as stewards for a natural world facing a range of serious threats. We absolutely need to support them in their efforts.

The good news is that there is a growing evidence base from organisations such as the Nature Friendly Farming Network that there are many approaches that support long-term agricultural productivity, without relying on a quick fix from pesticides.

To really tackle all the issues facing our pollinators and the British countryside, we will have to work together. Collaboration and commitment are of vital importance. This is something I have learned through our work on Stand By Bees, and as spring approaches, I am allowing myself a renewed sense of optimism that together we can all make a difference!

Anabel Kindersley is the CEO/Owner of Neal’s Yard Remedies