The UK鈥檚 coalition government has been strongly criticised by members of parliament over its handling of the decline in pollinating insects. The government has been accused of not doing enough to safeguard the insects, which many crops rely on.
A released today by Parliament鈥檚 critiques the government鈥檚 draft , which sets out plans to halt the decline in pollinating insects like bees.
Much of the committee鈥檚 venom is directed at the government鈥檚 stance on neonicotinoid pesticides. Neonicotinoids are thought to be one of the factors contributing to declines in populations of pollinators. Last year the European Union imposed a two-year ban on using the pesticides on bee-attracting crops, but the UK government initially voted against it. The ban is up for review next year. The committee is demanding that the government supports the ban, and doesn鈥檛 try to wriggle out of it during the review.
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Some plant scientists say the ban on neonicotinoids could backfire. 鈥淵ou can choose to ban or restrict them further on a 鈥榩recautionary principle鈥�,鈥� says of Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, UK. But she says such a precautionary approach has problems of its own. 鈥淚t seems to not take account of the risks of actually implementing the ban.鈥� She points out that crop production could fall, and that farmers might resort to other pesticides that are more toxic.
Follow the money
The committee鈥檚 other major criticism focuses on research funding. Because of a shortage of money, the government is turning to pesticide manufacturers to fund the neonicotinoid research that underpins the National Pollinator Strategy.
That means the research will not be transparent enough, says the committee鈥檚 chair . Research by pesticide companies is often not peer-reviewed, or even published in full. 鈥淚f the research is to command public confidence, independent controls need to be maintained at every step,鈥� says Walley, Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent North.
, the chief scientific adviser at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), defended the decision to turn to manufacturers. Boyd says pesticide companies Bayer and Syngenta were providing funding that 鈥渨ould otherwise need to come from a public source, and at the moment that public source is not available鈥�.
鈥淭his government is determined to do all that it can to help bees and pollinators flourish,鈥� says DEFRA spokeswoman Hope Hadfield.
