West of England Mayor, Dan Norris, and top regional firm, and the UK's largest organic brand, Yeo Valley Organic have joined forces to call on Rishi Sunak to stop ignoring the science, and block a bee-killing pesticide from being used.

'Cruiser SB' is used on sugar beet and is highly toxic to bees. It is banned in the EU, yet the Government has disregarded the advice of top UK health and safety experts by authorising its emergency use every year since leaving the bloc. It's expected to do so again in 2024.

Yeo Valley Organic, who have teamed up with like-minded businesses including Neal's Yard, Lush and the Body Shop that depend on pollinators, have now joined with Mayor Dan Norris in calling for the Government to block Cruiser SB from use for good.

West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: "From my £1 million Pollinator Fund that's transforming over 312,000 square meters of land for pollinators, to my annual Bee Bold Awards, the Mayoral Combined Authority I lead is getting on with delivering on our commitment to make the West of England the bee and pollinator capital of the UK.

"But it's frustrating and disappointing that we continue to try and do that with one hand tied behind our back, because ministers continue disregarding their own scientists."

Yeo Valley Organic's Tim Mead said: "We all know how important pollinators are for farms and gardens, they're also an integral part of growing food and supporting our ecosystem. Excessive pesticide use is killing our bees and insects."

A single teaspoon of neonicotinoid is enough to deliver a lethal dose to 1.25bn bees. We've already seen one-third of the UK bee population disappear in the last decade and since 1900 the UK has lost 13 out of 35 native bee species.

Tim continues: "We need to support sustainable agricultural practices which enables wildlife to thrive and in turn provides a sustainable food system."

The Mayor also reiterated his calls to government to grant metro mayors more powers to ban the use of bee-killing pesticides in the West of England himself.

He added: "Just as in Wales and Scotland where it is decided locally whether pesticides are used on the fields, I would really like that decision to be in our hands locally too in the West of England. That's why I have requested those powers. Because the health of our bees is non-negotiable."

Find out more about how the Mayoral Combined Authority is making the region the Bee and Pollinator Capital at https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/what-we-do/environment/bee-and-pollinator-capital/.