• ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝@feddit.uk
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    16
    ·
    1 year ago

    The UK government has given emergency authorisation every year since Brexit for the use of a neonicotinoid that is highly toxic to bees. In that time, the EU has banned emergency use of these chemicals.

    Nick Mole, from PAN UK, said: “The UK is becoming the toxic poster child of Europe. The government has repeatedly promised that our environmental standards won’t slip post-Brexit. And yet here we are, less than four years later, and already we’re seeing our standards fall far behind those of the EU. With UK bees and other pollinators in decline, and our waters never more polluted, now is the time to be taking steps to protect nature. Instead, the government is choosing to expose British wildlife to an ever-more toxic soup of chemicals.”

    Breaking Brexit promises? What a shocker - this was one of the reasons they wanted Brexit in the first place. Unfortunately, pointing this out got labelled as Project Fear. Any “promises” were just lies and misdirection.

    • Maeve@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      It seems I read (quite some time ago) this is due to trade agreements with the US? I do know that Roundup was due to be banned in Mexico, but after pressure from the USA, it never happened.

      • ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝@feddit.uk
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        1 year ago

        Oh there will be all sorts of overt and covert pressures being brought on a government already naturally inclined to be light on regulation. There definitely were concerns in the early days about a potential trade deal with America resulting in a degradation of our food standards - chlorinated chicken was the leading horror there.