It’s pretty depressing, but in short the reason the government has lifted the ban is they’ve been lobbied by the sugar industry who want to use the pesticide against a virus in the sugar beet crop.
But these chemicals are not the answer. Not only do they endanger our already declining bee populations, they’ve also been linked to huge declines in our bird population [3] and to pollution of our already toxic rivers. [4] If the government wants to protect our food chain in a responsible way, it should help farmers find alternatives to harmful pesticides that work with nature, not against it.
John, so far over 915,000 people have signed the urgent petition calling on the UK government to enforce a total ban on bee-killing pesticides. Will you add your name now and help us get to a million?