Written evidence submitted by the Pesticide Collaboration (INS0021)

• The effects of pesticides, such as neonicotinoids or other agricultural control methods on insects including pollinators and their impact on UK food security;

This submission will focus on the effects of pesticides, and how this impacts pollinators and UK food security. David Attenborough said in the recent Wild Isles TV series that “about a third of our food comes from plants pollinated by bees, but due to habitat loss and use of pesticides, wild bee species are in decline.”

Impacts of pesticides

Pesticide use has grown significantly in the UK over the past few decades. Insects are vitally important as food for other wildlife and as crop pollinators, with 75% of global crop types relying on animal pollination.

There is a common misconception that pesticides are necessary for food security - which is a narrative used by the pesticide industry to undermine arguments around the need for pesticide reduction. In reality, pesticides pose a huge threat to global food security by causing declines in both pollinator populations and soil health.

Protecting pollinators - no more emergency authorisations of banned neonicotinoids

For the third year in a row, in January the UK government approved the ‘emergency’ use of the bee-toxic neonicotinoid thiamethoxam on sugar beet in England in 2023. The decision went against the government’s own experts’ advice, as the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides once again advised against allowing thiamethoxam to be used and were again ignored by the government. Earlier this month we had confirmation that the disease threshold had been reached and therefore use in 2023 will go ahead.

Neonicotinoids have a serious impact on wildlife:

●        Just one teaspoon is enough to kill 1.25 billion bees.

●        Even minor traces of these toxic chemicals play havoc with bees' ability to forage, navigate, and reproduce, with catastrophic consequences for the survival of their colony or populations. 

●        A recent study showed that even one exposure of a neonicotinoid insecticide had significant impacts on their ability to produce offspring in future years.

The UK Government must commit to ceasing the approval of emergency authorisations of banned pesticides such as neonicotinoids, and trial alternatives as a matter of urgency, in order to ensure that pollinators are protected and food security can be strengthened.

• The extent that biodiversity initiatives, such as creating reservoir populations, are addressing insect decline and whether there is sufficient co-ordination with the UK food system;

Reduction in pesticide use

In 2020 the UK Government published a draft National Action Plan on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides for consultation. We recommend implementing ambitious targets, taking into account both the amount of pesticide and the risk/toxicity, or “toxic load”. A risk reduction target will ensure that the most harmful pesticides to human health or the environment are prioritised for reduction. Meanwhile, a target for cutting overall use will ensure that indirect and poorly understood effects from pesticides are reduced, and will drive innovation towards alternatives. Such clear targets have been implemented in other countries such as Denmark and France, so this is not unique, and has been shown to lead to a significant reduction.

However, over two years after the draft National Action Plan consultation ended, the finalised action plan is yet to be published, and targets remain unset. This is despite the National Action Plan originally being due for publication in 2018, so the NAP is now 5 years late. The Government should urgently publish the final National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides, so considered work on pesticide reduction can commence.

Nature-friendly farming and genuine Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

The vast majority of farmers do not want to use chemicals like neonicotinoids, but many feel they have no choice in order to keep pests away from their crops. However, there are viable, nature-friendly alternatives: genuine Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an approach to managing pests, diseases or unwanted plants under which chemical pesticides are used only as a last resort, if at all. Pests are monitored and impacts understood at farm level to decide when and how to act, and natural pest control using ecological principles comes first.

Supported properly, this approach is beneficial for farm businesses due to reduced inputs, better soil health, increased pollination, and pest predator services from biodiversity. It is vital for farmers to receive independent advice and support to use Integrated Pest Management, as well as the UK Government providing further investment into research of non-chemical alternatives.

We know the UK Government wants to support the uptake of Integrated Pest Management, and this has been included in the first batch of standards announced earlier this year for the new Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme in England. The inclusion of insecticide-free payments is encouraging, and shows DEFRA is recognising the damage these chemicals cause. To make faster progress on increasing uptake of genuine Integrated Pest Management, ideally the Government should increase ambition and package up actions together - for example, requiring farmers to pick a number of practical actions in addition to their IPM plan.

Urban use of pesticides

The phase out of urban and amenity use of pesticides is essential. Many towns and cities around the UK and globally have already ended pesticide use in urban areas. Most urban pesticide use is purely for cosmetic reasons and reducing this would protect pollinators in our towns and cities. The vast majority of urban and amenity pesticides are entirely unnecessary and there are plenty of non-chemical alternatives available

Crucial next steps for the UK Government

In order to protect bees and pollinators, the UK Government must:

●        Urgently explain what alternatives to pesticides (non-chemical as well as chemical) are being trialled to prevent emergency authorisations of the bee-toxic neonicotinoid thiamethoxam being granted again.
 

●        Publish the National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides that was originally due for publication in 2018.
 

●        Ramp up the ambition within the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) standard of the Sustainable Farming Incentive in England, so that actions are taken as a complete package and the necessary support given to farmers.
 

●        Commit to phasing out the use of pesticides in urban areas

The Pesticide Collaboration – hosted by PAN UK and the RSPB - is a coalition of environmental and health groups, academics, farming networks, trade unions and consumer rights organisations working under a shared vision to urgently reduce pesticide-related harms in the UK.

28 April 2023

Reference/Figures from RSPB Pesticides and Wildlife report (2022)?