Neonicotinoid product as seed treatment for sugar beet: emergency authorisation application 2025
The Minister for Water and Flooding denies application for emergency authorisation to use a product containing a neonicotinoid to treat seeds for the 2025 sugar beet crop in England.
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In the summer of 2024, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) received an application from the National Farmers Union (NFU) and British Sugar seeking an emergency authorisation for the use of a neonicotinoid product as a seed treatment on sugar beet. The product is ‘Cruiser SB’, which provides protection against the potato peach aphid and the yellows virus it transmits.
After careful consideration of all the issues and evidence, Emma Hardy MP, Minister for Water and Flooding and the minister responsible for pesticides, has decided not to grant an authorisation for emergency use of the product Cruiser SB, which contains the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam, for the treatment of sugar beet seed in England in 2025.
Alongside the statement of reasons for this decision, we are publishing the following documents that informed the decision-making process:
Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser’s advice on the use of Cruiser SB on the UK’s sugar beet crops
Defra economists’ analysis on the impacts of yellows virus on sugar beet production
Emergency authorisation guiding principles, outlining the key elements involved in assessing and deciding on applications for emergency authorisation of plant protection products
Published a statement on the decision not to issue emergency authorisation to use a product containing a neonicotinoid to treat sugar beet seed in 2025.
Also published the following relevant information:
- Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser’s advice on the use of Cruiser SB on sugar beet
- Defra's economic analysis on the impacts of yellows virus on sugar beet production
Added links to the:
- the HSE’s emergency registration report
- the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides’ advice
Removed details of 2024 decision and supporting documents and added links to previous decisions on the National Archives website.
Published a statement on the decision to issue emergency authorisation, with strict conditions, to use a product containing a neonicotinoid to treat sugar beet seed in 2024.
Also published the following relevant information:
- Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser’s advice on the use of Cruiser SB on sugar beet
- Defra's economic analysis on the impacts of yellows virus on sugar beet production
Added links to the:
- the HSE’s emergency registration report
- the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides’ advice
Removed details of 2023 decision and supporting documents and added links to previous decisions on the National Archives website.
2021 and 2022 decisions and supporting documents removed as attachments on page and added to National Archives - link added to this page for access.
We’ve added a summary of the conditions attached to the emergency authorisation decision in the Details section of the web page.
We’ve also made the following corrections in the attached documents:
- ‘use is only permitted if the predicted virus incidence level is 63% or above, as determined on 1 March 2023’ (this was mistakenly given as 1 March 2022) [Statement of reasons for the 2023 decision]
- ‘a 46-month ban on subsequent use of Cruiser SB on the same field’ (this was mistakenly given as a 48-month ban) [Chief Scientific Adviser’s advice on the use of Cruiser SB on the 2023 sugar beet crop]
- ‘ Our analysis suggests that these methods, alongside other IPM actions, will be effective in managing predicted virus incidence up to 62%’ (this was mistakenly given as up to 53%) [Defra economic analysis report 2023]
We have published a statement on the decision to issue - with strict conditions - emergency authorisation to use a product containing a neonicotinoid to treat sugar beet seed in 2023.
The following documents have been added:
- The UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP) advice
- Defra economic analysis evidence report on the impacts of virus yellows on sugar beet production 2023
- Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser’s advice on the use of Cruiser SB on the 2023 sugar beet crop
- Statement of reasons for the decision on the application for emergency authorisation for the use of Cruiser SB on the 2023 sugar beet crop
We've also added a link to the Health and Safety Executive's emergency registration report for the use of Cruiser SB on the 2023 sugar beet crop.
Update March 2022: Following a relatively mild winter, modelling on 1 March 2022 predicted a level of virus incidence that means the required threshold for use has been met and the seed treatment can now proceed under strict conditions.
Alongside the statement on the decision to issue, we have now published the following documents that informed the decision making process:
* Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser’s Advice
* Defra's economist’s analysis this document contains Defra’s economist’s analysis on the impacts of virus yellows on sugar beet production
* Emergency Authorisation guiding principles
We have published a statement on the decision to issue with strict conditions emergency authorisation to use a product containing a neonicotinoid to treat sugar beet seed in 2022
Updated decision to reflect that the neonicotinoid product has not been used this year.