Standards Agency to
find out exactly how
dangerous neonics were
to bees. It was discovered that this group
of pesticides posed an
“unacceptable risk” to
honeybee populations,
eventually leading to
the controversial ban of
neonics in agriculture.
But this was not a simple
process, the agrochemical industry fought to
oppose the ban and the
UK government rejected the science on which
the ban was based.
Nevertheless, the ban
was eventually passed
with 15 countries voting
for it and eight against.
It was then decided
the ban would last for
two years, before being
reviewed in 2015.
However, even with
the ban in place, bees
will not enjoy a completely
neonic-free
environment. The ban
did not affect neon54
ics being used in gardens and parks. These
spray-on pesticides are
still available in garden centres. On top of
that, the ban also only
applies to flowering
crops and crops planted
in the spring or summer. Other crops, such
as winter wheat, are
not covered by the ban
and can still be treated
with the restricted pesticide.