The Crop Protection Association is highlighting the regulatory controls in place, as well as the stewardship advice available to farmers and sprayer operators, to protect the health and welfare of bees when using insecticidal sprays and seed treatments on-farm.
Statutory controls on pesticide approval at EU and UK level already include a specific assessment of potential risks to bees, ensuring that when approved products are used as directed there should be no adverse effects on bee health or populations.
In addition, the CPA has produced an advisory handbook - ’Bee-Safe Bee-Careful; when using insecticides’ - with support from the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) and the National Farmers Union (NFU).
"As well as the honey produced, the value of the honey bee to the UK’s agriculture and horticulture industries in terms of its ability as a pollinator is estimated to be around £200 million per year," said CPA Chief Executive Dominic Dyer.
"Protecting bee health is vital to the UK farming economy, and we take our responsibility to ensure the safe and responsible stewardship of all crop protection products extremely seriously.
"The handbook offers guidance and advice on how to protect, encourage and care for all species of bees when using insecticide sprays and seed treatments on the farm, and is part of our commitment to ensure the safe and responsible use of pesticides through such programmes as the Voluntary Initiative and the Campaign for the Farmed Environment," said Mr Dyer.
