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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the further authorisation of the emergency use of neonicotinoids on global pesticide reduction targets.

The decision to authorise the short-term emergency use of a pesticide is never taken lightly and is based on robust assessment of the risks and benefits. The emergency authorisation we have issued this year for the use of a neonicotinoid on sugar beet is subject to strict conditions to mitigate risks to the wider environment.

We remain absolutely committed to the targets agreed in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. UK diplomatic leadership was critical to agreeing the framework and we will continue to champion the framework’s implementation.

We welcome the text in target 7, as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) lies at the heart of the UK's approach to minimise the environmental impact of pesticides.

In addition, the Government recently held a roundtable with members of the British sugar industry and environmental organisations to discuss the industry’s progress on implementing alternative pest control measures to neonicotinoids. I urge British Sugar and others in the sector to drive forward these plans, so that their outputs can be implemented in the field at pace.