Defra breached law when it let farmers use bee-killing pesticide, watchdog says | TheBriefWire
Defra breached law when it let farmers use bee-killing pesticide, watchdog says
Published 2 July 2026 ยท science
Office for Environmental Protection finds failures by department when it granted emergency authorisation in 2023 and 2024 The UK government breached environmental law on several
Office for Environmental Protection finds failures by department when it granted emergency authorisation in 2023 and 2024 The UK government breached environmental law on several occasions when granting farmers permission to use a bee-killing pesticide, a watchdog has found. In 2023 and 2024, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in the then Conservative government granted emergency authorisation to allow farmers to use a banned neonicotinoid pesticide on sugar beet crops. Continue reading...
Published: July 2, 2026 โข 10:40 PM IST ยท Updated: July 2, 2026 โข 11:09 PM ISTBy TheBriefWire Editorial Team
Key points
Office for Environmental Protection finds failures by department when it granted emergency authorisation in 2023 and 2024 The UK government breached environmental law on several occasions when granting farmers permission to use a bee-killing pesticide, a watchdog has found.
In 2023 and 2024, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in the then Conservative government granted emergency authorisation to allow farmers to use a banned neonicotinoid pesticide on sugar beet crops.