A pesticide believed to kill bees has been authorised for use in England despite an EU ban two years ago and a government pledge to keep the restrictions.

Following lobbying from the National Farmers’ Union  and British Sugar, a product containing the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam was sanctioned for emergency use on sugar beet seeds this year because of the threat posed by a virus.

Conservationists have described the decision as regressive and called for safeguards to prevent the pollution of rivers with rainwater containing the chemical at a time when British insects are in serious decline.

Please sign the petition to make the Government stick to their word and not use these pollutants on our food stuffs, which not only kill bee's but also affect many other species of insects in the UK.