Bee-harming pesticide firms took part in key meeting on their ban

Pesticide manufacturers, Bayer and Syngenta were involved in a meeting over whether to lift a ban on neonicotinoids in the UK, previously suppressed minutes reveal

The manufacturers of controversial pesticides took part in a key meeting on whether a Europe-wide ban on their chemicals should be lifted in the UK, according to newly published documents. The record of the meeting of the UK government's expert committee on pesticides (ECP) had previously been suppressed.

Neonicotinoids, the world's most widely used insecticide, have been linked to serious harm in bees, including a drastic reduction in queens, and were banned across the EU in 2013. Bees and other pollinators are essential for many crops but are in decline due to the impact of pesticides, loss of habitat and disease.