The Times reported yesterday that there are eight English rivers heavily polluted with neonicotinoid pesticides. Two rivers, the Waveney and the Tame, had an acute level of pollution. Other rivers which exceeded pollution limits included the Great Ouse in Bedfordshire, the Ancholme and the Wensum.
The tests were done by the Environment Agency last year. Buglife, a charity, obtained the results from the EA.
Buglife said the pesticides were likely to have killed large numbers of mayflies, beetles and other insects living in rivers. This would then have deprived fish and bird populations of a source of food.
Neonicotinoids were banned by the EA in 2013 for use on flowering crops. But they are still in use for other purposes on about 2.5 million acres of farmland in the UK.
Eight English rivers are polluted with pesticides that kill endangered wildlife | News | The Times & The Sunday Times
The tests were done by the Environment Agency last year. Buglife, a charity, obtained the results from the EA.
Buglife said the pesticides were likely to have killed large numbers of mayflies, beetles and other insects living in rivers. This would then have deprived fish and bird populations of a source of food.
Neonicotinoids were banned by the EA in 2013 for use on flowering crops. But they are still in use for other purposes on about 2.5 million acres of farmland in the UK.
Eight English rivers are polluted with pesticides that kill endangered wildlife | News | The Times & The Sunday Times