UK charities condemn ‘betrayal’ of allowing bee-killing pesticide in sugar beet crops

British Sugar has applied for ban exemption despite chemicals damaging bees' ability to forage and navigate

The government has ignored the advice of its scientific advisers to allow sugar beet farmers to deploy a banned bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticide in 2022.

British Sugar has successfully applied for an exemption to permit the banned pesticide, known as Cruiser SB, to be used in England this year because of the threat to sugar beet posed by a virus transmitted by aphids.