A 2013 study by the Food and Environment Research Agency was used by the UK to base its support for neonicotinoid use. However, the study has been found to have drawn the wrong conclusion from its results, throwing off the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' decision to back pesticides.
Dave Goulson, a biology professor from the University of Sussex, re-analyzed the 2013 study and found that neonicotinoid use affects the bee population by reducing the numbers of queen bees. What's more ironic is that while the Fera study concluded that using pesticides does not threaten bees, the re-analysis showed that it actually offers the first conclusive evidence that they do.
According to the scientists who worked on the study, bee hives remained productive and viable when neonicotinoid pesticides were present under normal field conditions. However, results showed that hives with clothianidin, a popular neonicotinoid, also had lower numbers of queen bees, directly contradicting the study's conclusions.
"It doesn't add up," said Goulson.
Even a spokesperson for Fera appeared to agree that a wrong conclusion was drawn from the study, saying while there was no evidence supporting the idea that neonicotinoids are harmful to bees, it did not mean that the pesticide is benign.
A Defra spokesperson said Goulson's reanalysis will be reviewed by an independent advisory committee to ensure pesticide policies are based off the best scientific evidence around.
Recent studies have indicated neonicotinoid use damages bee hive health but were criticized for lack of field study, which can be difficult to carry out because of the sheer level of neonicotinoids already in the environment and the roving nature of bees.
The Fera study did not undergo peer-review and was rejected by the EU safety authority but the Defra still relied on its results to base its support for pesticide use. Goulson said had the study been subjected to the usual scientific process offered by a peer review, it would have been discredited much earlier. He also recommended that the government reassess its habit of using non-reviewed reports as basis for policies.
Owen Paterson, former environment secretary, used the Fera study to extensively argue agains the EU's moratorium against neonicotinoids. The ban was introduced in 2013 and will be reviewed in December.
Systemic neurotoxins, neonicotinoids are commonly used as seed dressings for arable crops. In the bee hives where the pesticide was detected, an 85 percent drop in the queen bee population was recorded.
Photo: Paul Stein | Flickr
