SNA (Sydney) – The United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has assured the public that its temporary authorization of a controversial pesticide called thiamethoxam will follow strict guidelines to protect the environment from harm, but evidence is mounting that serious damage is being done.

Last year, DEFRA approved the public use of thiamethoxam on this year’s sugar beet crops across England following predictions of the emergence of yellow viruses, which could damage the nation’s food production. The pesticide protects crops from insects that suck and chew, such as beetles and greenflies.

Sugar beets are vital to the UK economy, making up 63% of the country’s sugar supply. With modeling predicting a 68% chance of an outbreak of yellow viruses this year, it is unsurprising that the government feels pressure to take action.

However, many scientists have criticized the authorization of thiamethoxam, claiming that it furthers dependency on harmful agricultural practices and is leading to ecological damage.

In 2018, the European Union (EU) banned thiamethoxam after several studies concluded that it posed a threat to bees and other essential pollinators. The pesticide was found to cause damage not only to the insects’ nervous systems, but also to navigational and flying abilities. A study by Scott A. Elias in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences confirmed that it also has the potential to critically affect bee populations: “thiamethoxam exposure caused a 26% reduction in the proportion of queens that laid eggs,” he wrote.

Another concern about thiamethoxam is that it can take up to two months for the pesticide to break down, giving it ample time to spread into local water systems, such as rivers, lakes, and streams. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, even after thiamethoxam has broken down, some of its components can continue to decrease bee populations.

At the time of the EU ban, UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Michael Gove agreed, noting that Europe could not “afford to put [their] pollinator populations at risk.”

The United Kingdom’s temporary authorization is thus a reversal of its earlier policy. This u-turn has been justified by calling the current situation an “emergency,” utilizing vague language in the relevant treaty.

Craig Bennett, the chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, told BBC that he questioned whether or not the United Kingdom truly intends to uphold its commitment to protect 30% of land in England for the protection of wildlife. In Bennett’s view, the government “is giving a green light to use a highly toxic chemical that could harm pollinating insects and pollute soils and rivers.”

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds echoed his concern. Senior policy officer Stephanie Morren stated that “questions must be raised about how approving even temporary use of these chemicals and endangering our declining bee populations is in any way consistent with halting wildlife decline.”

Other countries besides the United Kingdom have also been grappling with these problems.

Romania, for example, has long been criticized for sidestepping EU pesticide bans by insisting that their use is the most effective crop protection method. As a result, beekeepers across Romania lost over 30% of their bee colonies between 2020 and 2021, according to Prevention of Honey Bee Colony Losses (COLOSS), a honeybee research association based at the University of Bern, Switzerland.

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