A new analysis of the latest official data from the Environment Agency has uncovered widespread river pollution linked to toxic neonicotinoid pesticides (neonics), known for their harmful effects on bees. The data suggest a slight increase in the proportion of rivers affected over the past two years. These findings emerge as the government considers granting a controversial ‘emergency’ authorisation for the use of a banned bee-killing pesticide on sugar beet crops.
The analysis from the Rivers Trust and Wildlife and Countryside Link showed that:
- 1 or more harmful neonics were found in 85% of English river sites between 2023-2024 (23 of 27 surface water sites tested for neonics by the Environment Agency). The proportion of rivers affected seems to have increased – In 2020-2022 neonics were present in 79% of river sites tested by the regulator (34 of 43 sites).1</1>
- Areas where sugar beet farming and processing is concentrated (particularly the East Midlands and East of England) had some of the highest detection rates of neonics in samples tested, and have many of the rivers with the highest number of neonics detected. The South West and South East had the highest overall neonic detection rate, in 54% and 41% of samples respectively.
- The largest numbers of neonics were found at single sites on the River Waveney and River Wensum in the East Midlands, where all 5 of the neonics analysed for were detected. Other sites that had high numbers of neonics detected included the River Nene, River Ouse and River Ivel in the East of England, River Lugg, River Tame and River Teme in the West Midlands, Sincil Dyke and the River Dove in the East Midlands, River Ouse and Ancholm in Yorks and Humber, River Test in the South East, River Chelt in the South West and the River Douglas in the North West.
- Only 27 river sites across the whole of England were tested for neonics in 2023-24, down from 43 sites in 2020-2022, a fall of over a third (37%) in the number of sites tested. Nature charities warn that this is an indicative sign of the worsening resources of the Environment Agency and the resulting decline in river monitoring by the regulator.
Two pesticides, Clothianidin and Imidacloprid, are by far the most prevalent neonics (both found at 29 of 45 river sites tested between 2020-2024 – 64.4%). Clothianidin is a neonicotinoid in its own right but is also a breakdown product of Thiamethoxam – the banned pesticide permitted for ‘emergency use’ by the sugar industry for the last 4 years by the previous Conservative Government. Imidacloprid is banned for use on crops but is still used in tick and flea treatments, with pet and livestock use the likely main cause of Imidacloprid pollution in our rivers.
Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “The extensive presence of potent pesticides in rivers is another smoking gun in the hands of intensive agriculture and the decline of nature. The Labour Party has pledged to end emergency authorisations of the use of banned neonicotinoid pesticides and to halve the risk of pesticide pollution by 2030. The sugar industry has again applied for emergency authorisation to use Cruiser SB coated sugar beet seeds and if approved this would make the 5th year in a row of ‘emergency’ use of neonicotinoids. The Government must surely deny the request and redouble farming reforms to offer generous support for farmers who cut right down on chemical use.”
Barnaby Coupe, senior land use policy manager at the Wildlife Trusts, said: “The UK Government’s pledge to end the emergency use of these bee-killing pesticides must be signed into law. Pollinating insects like bees are the foundation of a healthy ecosystem and essential for pollinating crops. These chemicals are banned because they are extremely harmful for soils, water, wildlife and human health. The evidence is clear that the environmental risks from neonicotinoids are far too great – there is no place in modern society for them to be used.”
Dr Rob Collins, Director of Policy and Science at the Rivers Trust, said: “The widespread presence of neonicotinoid pesticides in rivers raises alarm bells for the health of our freshwater ecosystems and contributes to the huge cocktail of chemicals afflicting rivers, derived from agriculture, industry, transport and our homes and businesses. We need to see greater resources made available to monitor chemicals in the environment and systemic change that delivers a much more sustainable approach to their use, right across society.”
In its election manifesto the Labour Party pledged to end emergency authorisations of the use of banned neonicotinoid pesticides. Yet British Sugar, which has a monopoly on the UK sugar industry, has again applied for emergency authorisation to use Cruiser SB coated sugar beet seeds, and the Government has yet to confirm whether it will deny the request. If approved this would make the 5th year in a row ‘emergency’ use of neonicotinoids is approved on sugar beet crops.
Cruiser SB is based on the pesticide Thiamethoxam. Not only is the neonicotinoid pesticide Thiamethoxam highly toxic to bees (with one teaspoonful of such neonicotinoids able to kill 1.25 billion bees) there are also many farmers who recognise we should be moving away from its use. With 40% of sugar farmers choosing not to use this product even when it is authorised, demonstrating farmers are deciding their crops and yields can cope without banned pesticides.
There is also massive public opposition to the emergency authorisations of neonicotinoids for use by the sugar industry. Multiple environment charities have had huge responses to petitions about neonicotinoids. A current petition from Greenpeace alone is running at 1.6 million signatures, with members of the public encouraged to sign the petition ahead of it being handed in to Government imminently: https://action.greenpeace.org.uk/ban-bee-killing-pesticides
Dr Doug Parr, Policy Director at Greenpeace UK, said: “Scientists are clear that neonicotinoids are killing bees and other pollinators while threatening our nature and food security. We now have worrying new findings about these pesticides polluting our waterways and harming the life in our rivers. Before the election Labour pledged to stop further use of bee poisons and, with the public overwhelmingly in support, they simply must stand by their promises. Now Labour are in the hot seat of government they can take the initiative by supporting farmers to transition away from these chemicals, backing essential clean food production and ensuring that nature can recover.”
Paul de Zylva, senior sustainability analyst at Friends of the Earth, said: “Our rivers and freshwaters are under assault from pesticides, which are too often overlooked as pollutants. Pesticide firms and the intensive farm industry claim that banning harmful pesticides would cause crop failures and job losses, but this simply hasn’t happened. Nutritious, plentiful food can be grown without relying on quick-fix chemicals that clearly harm the nation’s soils and wildlife. That’s why Labour must stick to its pledge to end the use of these unnecessary and highly damaging pesticides, and ensure its independent water review fully addresses pollution from industrial and agricultural chemicals.”
Josie Cohen, Head of Policy and Campaigns, Pesticide Action Network UK, said: “ The previous UK Government banned neonics in 2018 because of the harms they cause to pollinators. When in opposition, Labour were very supportive of the ban and criticised the Conservatives harshly for repeatedly granting emergency permissions for sugar beat. Despite all their warm words about restoring nature, it now seems possible that our new Government will follow their predecessors’ leads in allowing an emergency authorisation which prioritises corporate interests over the environment. If Labour want voters to believe they are serious about protecting nature then they must end the use of all neonics in any circumstances.”
Amy Fairman, Head of Campaigns, River Action said: “There’s a toxic cocktail of pollutants stirring in our rivers with pesticides a dangerous part of the mix. We need to ensure that the agricultural, chemical and sewage contamination dirtying our rivers, lakes and seas is taken off the menu for good. And that can only be achieved by much tougher legislation, regulation, and enforcement to make sure polluting doesn’t pay! Tens of thousands of people and over 140 organisations joined us in flooding the streets on 3 November on the March for Clean Water disgusted at the state of our rivers and seas. The Government must heed the public outrage on this issue and deliver on its promises to turn the tide on the state of our waters.”
Environmental charities are urging the Government to:
- Fulfil promises to make water polluters pay, including giving the pollution watchdog – the Environment Agency – stronger teeth. Years of underinvestment have left the regulator overstretched and under-resourced to monitor water pollution and enforce the law.
- Ensure nature-friendly farm payments incentivise and support land managers to transition to pesticide-free approaches and increase the use of nature-friendly alternatives.
- Fulfil Labour manifesto promises to permanently ban ‘emergency’ neonicotinoid authorisations for crops by putting this into law and ban the use of key harmful neonicotinoids in flea and tick treatments. These chemicals are already banned for use on crops, due to their hazards, so should also be prevented from ending up in our waters from pet and livestock parasite treatments.
- Deliver structural reform of the water sector, with tough targets and action plans for water pollution as part of the water review, including: strengthening the Water Framework Directive regulations; toughening polluter pays approaches including ring-fencing fines for nature’s recovery; and accelerating and expanding the use of green pollution solutions.
Notes
[1] The analysis examined presence of 5 neonic pesticides between 2020-2024 in the Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), non-target database, which is the only Environment Agency database which contains neonicotinoid findings.
These included: Acetamiprid (still authorised for UK use, highly toxic to birds and earthworms, moderately toxic to mammals and aquatic life); Clothianidin (banned for crop use since 2018, highly toxic to honeybees and persistent in water); Imidacloprid (banned on crops since 2018, harmful to insect levels with a knock-on toxic impact on bird population); Thiacloprid ( banned in 2020 due to potential human health impacts and ability to remain in groundwater); and Thiamethoxam (also banned since 2018, acutely toxic to pollinators and very toxic for aquatic wildlife. There were limited detections of Thiamethoxam, but Clothianidin presence – as a breakdown product of Thiamethoxam – is a good indicator that Thiamethoxam has polluted waterways).
