Sometimes when we are sold a solution to a problem we have to make sure that the solution doesn’t become the next problem. We need to take a look at some of our chemical uses.
DDT is an effective insecticide with low mammalian toxicity and is cheap to make. Along with other more toxic insecticides in the same group, the organochlorines, they were the dominant insecticides used by farmers in the 1960s and 70s. DDT by killing mosquitoes, has also saved the lives of millions of people from death by malaria.
What was not expected at the time was how slow organochlorines were to break down to harmless products. They persist in the environment for decades and so build up in the food chain leading to deformities and infertility in the bodies of birds and other vertebrates. One factor in the crash of the otter population at that time was the build up of chemicals first in eels, a favourite food, before poisoning the otters themselves.
DDT was banned in Europe in the 1970s and it would be thought that the mistakes from organochlorines would not be repeated, but they nearly have.
The next group of insecticides to be developed were the organophosphates which are nervous system disruptors. They do not persist in the environment and have the advantage of being systemic. Systemic means they are absorbed in to the transport system of the plant, making the whole plant toxic. These were the dominant group up to the end of the 20th Century and are still widely used today.
What the agrochemical industry and farmers really wanted though, was a chemical harmless to humans, systemic, and lasting a long time in the plant. And so, a new group, the neonicotinoids (neonics), came on to the market in the late 1990s and took over the dominant role for many decades.
It is normal practice to “dress” seed at the time of sowing, with a coating of insecticide and fungicide, so that during and after germination the young plant is protected from rot and insect damage. There was the added advantage that the neonic would persist and protect the plant all the way through to harvest time. However, problems began to occur. When the dressed seed was sown some chemical was knocked off in to the soil, where it stayed long after harvest. Some washed through the soil, entering rivers and killing aquatic invertebrates. Honeybee and Bumblebee colonies were also noted to be dying out. The level of poison was low in nectar and testing showed that an individual bee was not killed. However, when the nectar was concentrated and stored in the honeycomb, the bees received a larger dose. Since neonics are nerve disruptors, bees were losing the ability to orientate back to their homes.
The EU banned neonics for agricultural use in 2018 and the UK continued to comply with this after Brexit but the ban initially allowed for some use in exceptional circumstances where the pest was serious. In the UK their use was allowed on sugar beet in 2023, 2024 and applied for in 2025 but refused.
Levels of neonics are still found in soil where they are toxic to earthworms and also present in rivers. 20% of rivers mostly in the East and South East of England have four times the safe level for wildlife.
The pet industry does not have the same safeguarding practices as agriculture. The agrochemical companies have diverted their attention to the problem of fleas on our 10m dogs and 11m cats. Neonics are available for flea control in collars, spot-on treatments, and even “treats” in food and there is growing evidence that pet owners are being encouraged to use these treatments far more frequently that is really necessary.
We are not anti-farmer, anti-dog nor anti-cat, but we think people need to be better informed about what they are being sold. A mistake does not always have to lead to a disaster but our rivers still contain too much neonicotinoid poison and wild life deserves better!
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