Government permission to use banned pesticides face legal challenge

Temporary approval for two of the three neonicotinoid pesticides linked to decline in bees and banned by the EU is to be challenged in the high court

A government decision to permit the use of banned pesticides linked to declining bee populations is to be challenged in the high court by the environmental charity Friends of the Earth (FOE).

The use of three neonicotinoid pesticides is currently illegal under a European Union law, which is due to be reviewed at the end of the year.