Neonicotinoids
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of neonicotinoid pesticide use on pollinator populations and food security since the last emergency authorisation.
Answered by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The last emergency authorisation for one of the three neonicotinoids known to harm pollinators (clothianidin, thiamethoxam, imidacloprid) was granted in 2024 under the previous administration.
Applicants were required to monitor residues of the pesticide active substance (thiamethoxam) and its metabolite in the environment. Monitoring included soil and vegetation; pollen from field margins; and rivers in sugar beet catchments.
Under the National Honey Monitoring Scheme, Defra funds analysis of honey samples to assess levels of pesticides in honey across England.
Two emergency authorisations have been granted for additional sprays of acetamiprid-containing pesticides this year due to high level of aphids faced by farmers. Acetamiprid is a neonicotinoid currently authorised for use on many crops and does not pose the same risk to pollinators.
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