Soil Association welcomes harming pesticide ban
We welcome the UK government's decision to uphold the ban on bee-harming neonicotinoid pesticides, announced yesterday.
This follows several years of emergency authorisations that have been granted every year since the ban was introduced across Europe and the UK back in 2018.
Responding, our senior policy officer Lucia Monje-Jelfs said: "It is vital that the UK puts an end to the use of bee-harming chemicals. Neonicotinoids simply have no place in a sustainable farming system and we are delighted to see the government sticking to their commitment to protect our pollinators. After years of campaigning on this issue amid so-called “emergency” authorisations, it is a relief to see the government listening to scientific evidence.
"But input bans alone are not enough – farmers need support. What we must see now is help and guidance for farmers to find alternative, agroecological solutions. Investment in research and peer-to-peer learning and training is desperately needed to help farmers reduce their reliance on chemicals and take a whole-farm approach to nature-friendly solutions, as our organic farmers already do.”