A UK environmental watchdog has launched a probe into why Conservative ministers authorized a neonicotinoid pesticide in 2023 and 2024, which is banned in the EU and linked to killing bees.

The investigation was prompted by the recent change of government in Britain with Labour pushing out the Conservatives after 14 years, and was officially launched earlier this week. It has reignited discussion about whether the controversial pesticide will be overturned and a ban or limitations put in place, depending on the outcome of the Office for Environmental Protection’s (OEP) investigation.

“The investigation is seeking to determine whether there were serious failures to comply with a number of environmental laws in relation to emergency authorizations granted for the use of Cruiser SB on sugar beet seeds,” reads an OEP statement.

“In particular, the investigation is considering the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) interpretation and application of the precautionary principle and compliance with its nature conservation obligations when it considers granting emergency authorizations. This is an investigation into a complaint submitted to the OEP by ClientEarth.”

Crop protector or threat to pollinators?
Cruiser SB is banned in Europe.

Cruiser SB is currently permitted if levels of yellow virus are predicted by an independent model to exceed a particular threshold.

In January, the UK government permitted the emergency pesticide authorization, which officials said was a move to protect sugar beet crops. At the time, Defra said the pesticide would only be used if there was a threat to the crop and stringent environmental controls were in place. The decision was based on “robust scientific assessment” with the then farming minister Mark Spencer saying “the risks have been evaluated very carefully.”

But could this all change following the launch of the OEP investigation?

ClientEarth lawyer Lucy Metcalfe outlines how the investigation might play out. Moreover, she highlights how pollinator threats directly affect the F&B industry and bees’ crucial role in agri-food production.

“This week’s announcement is a positive step for nature – particularly given how off-track England currently is in meeting its biodiversity targets. This investigation opened before a change of government, and as the OEP themselves said, they were not able to communicate about it until this week due to pre-election period restrictions on government communications.”

“However, it is hopefully a starting gun for the new government to address the biodiversity crisis and use the available environmental law to protect the very nature that sustains us,” she tells Food Ingredients First.

Speculation is mounting over whether the new Labour government will change existing policies to ban the use of “bee-killing pesticides” to protect vital pollinators. ClientEarth’s complaint also raises concerns about this pesticide’s impact on waterways.

“Anything that threatens our pollinators has a potentially negative impact on the food industry, food supply chains and consumers, as pollinators are vital to the production of agricultural crops and underpin the food system we all depend on.”

“The government itself has acknowledged this crucial role, as it recognizes pollinator activities to be worth £500 million (US$642 million) a year to UK agriculture and food production.”

The OEP will reveal the results of its investigation in due course and confirm if there has been a breach of environmental law.

“We look forward to reading their assessment,” Metcalfe continues.

“If the watchdog finds that the government may have violated environmental law, it will send a signal to the government that it must change course and bring the authorization process for approving the emergency use of pesticides back in line with the law.”

More than half of the UK’s sugar comes from domestic production and in 2020, 25% of the national sugar beet crop was lost, costing £67 million (US$86 million) of total economic loss across the industry.