I have just learned that the Environment Secretary (MP Liz Truss) has given permission for pesticides called neonicotinoids, which are known to kill bees, to be used in Cambridgeshire.
They are so toxic they are banned across Europe.
I understand there are claims by some farmers that without these pesticides yields of oil seed rape are three per cent down. However there is no evidence this is due to non-use of these pesticides.
There is, therefore, no justification for such an irresponsible decision by Ms Truss, made against the advice of her own experts and at the end of a parliamentary sitting so no debate could take place.
Bees are crucial to life on earth. We rely on them to pollinate plants which produce our food, especially fruit and vegetables.
Honey also has medical properties. Medical grade honeys are increasingly being used in hospitals against antibiotic-resistant bacteria which can cause several life-threatening infections to humans.
Sadly big money lobbyists appear to have convinced our government to let them back on the fields in just four counties – including here in Cambridgeshire.
There are two bee keepers who live just across the road from me, and just a few hundred yards from Ms Truss’s constituency, who will be directly affected by this decision. If the bee population is reduced we will all ultimately be affected.
However we can do something about this decision. I urge every reader to write to their MP and ask him or her to press David Cameron to overturn Ms Truss’s decision.
SUE DOCKETT
Quaker Lane, Wisbech
Via e-mail
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