A row has erupted over bee-killing pesticides after the National Farmers' Union (NFU) was accused of secretly campaigning to bring neonicotinoids back after Brexit.
The pesticides are banned under EU law as they contribute to the decline of insects, including important pollinators such as bees.
Critics have hit out at the NFU after it congratulated 1,200 of its members for writing to the environment secretary asking to be able to use Cruiser SB neonicotinoid treatment in 2021.
The union asked its members not to discuss the campaign on social media.
The NFU said in a leaked letter: "Thank you for being one of the 1,200 growers who signed the joint letter to Defra’s Secretary of State urging him to allow Cruiser SB neonicotinoid dressed seed to be used next spring.
"Engagement on this campaign has been truly incredible and shows that we are stronger together.
"Please refrain from sharing this on social media."
It added: "We believe this will have a stronger impact on the Secretary of State if kept out of the public domain."
The sugar beet industry argues that it needs to be able to use the pesticide to protect seeds from virus yellows, a disease that reduces yield and sugar content.
In 2017, then-environment secretary Michael Gove
welcomed the EU ban on the pesticides, and promised that “unless the scientific evidence changes, the government will maintain these increased restrictions post-Brexit”.
Nature campaigners have hit out at the NFU for pushing for the ban to be overturned.
Craig Bennett, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts said: “The evidence of the devastating impact this group of pesticides is having on our wildlife just keeps growing, and hardly a month goes by without yet more evidence of the wider ecological crisis. If the Government were to even flirt with the idea of ending the ban on neonicotinoids, it would be a clear and catastrophic breach of public trust.
"Hundreds of thousands of people came together across Britain over the last decade to call for better protection of our bee populations, and for these highly toxic pesticides to be banned. What we need right now is urgent action to restore the abundance of our insect populations, not broken promises that make the ecological crisis even worse”.
Gardener, presenter and environment
campaigner Monty Don added: "I sincerely hope that the NFU is NOT lobbying to reintroduce the use of neonicotinoides into British agriculture post Brexit. Perhaps they would like to clarify this."
An NFU spokesperson said: “Virus Yellows disease is having an unprecedented harmful impact on British sugar beet growers’ crop this year, with some growers experiencing yield losses of up to 80 per cent. There are currently no effective protections against this disease and there are serious concerns about the future viability of Britain’s sugar production as a result.
“In light of this, the British sugar beet sector has submitted an emergency use application specifically for sugar beet growers to use neonicotinoid seed treatments in 2021 in a limited and controlled way, similar to those granted in other European countries. The seed treatment would only be used if and when the threat of Virus Yellows disease in 2021 is independently judged to meet the scientific threshold for action.
“As the application is currently under review, we cannot add any further details at this time.”
A government spokesman confirmed that the application was being considered.
He said: “Strict regulation only permits the sale and use of pesticides where we judge there will be no harm to people and they will not pose unacceptable risks to the environment.
“This emergency authorisation application is currently being assessed.”
However, it is unlikely to be successful, as the pesticide has to be shown to have minimal effects on bees and other pollinators. Previous applications to use this pesticide since the ban have failed.
