Scotland urged to ban bee-killing insecticides

The Scottish Government has come under fire from conservationists for “sitting on the fence” after Westminster said it would support a European ban on bee-killing pesticides.

Ministers have held off deciding on the future of neonicotinoid insecticide use in Scotland for too long and must now “get off the fence and show some leadership” to protect pollinators, according to the Scottish Wildlife Trust chief executive Jonny Hughes.

The UK government has announced it will back an EU proposal for an outright ban on the chemicals, but Scottish rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing said Scotland supports “continuation of the current restrictions”, and will not decide until a review by the European Food Safety Authority is completed.