To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to commission research into the interactions between herbicides, fungicides and insecticides, and their combined impact on (1) bees and other pollinators, (2) other insects, and (3) water supplies and aquatic life.
Answered on
9 November 2022
There is currently no research commissioned or funded by Defra specifically focused on the interaction between, or combined impact of, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides on the environment and non-target species.
However, Defra currently funds a range of research into the impact of pesticides on the environment and non-target species. This includes the chemical analysis of honey samples collected through the National Honey Monitoring Scheme that assesses the exposure of honey bees to pesticides at a national scale, and research exploring how we can improve our monitoring to better understand the effects of pesticides on other pollinators. Defra also jointly funds the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme with the devolved administrations and partners, which generates systematic data on abundance of bees, hoverflies and other flower-visiting insects at a national scale. Additionally, the Environment Agency monitors the levels of pesticides in rivers across the United Kingdom.