Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timetable is for the scientific evidence expected from the European Food Safety Authority to be presented; if he will take steps unilaterally to ban neonicotinoids in the UK in the event of undue time being taken at EU level on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

The European Commission has asked the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to review the risks to bees from neonicotinoid pesticides. EFSA announced in November 2017 that it expects to finalise its assessments in February 2018. A number of Member States have indicated that they wish to see the outputs of this work before reaching a position on neonicotinoids. Once the EFSA work is complete, negotiations on this issue should restart in earnest.