Protect Newark’s Green Spaces (PNGS) and Extinction Rebellion Newark & Sherwood (XR Newark & Sherwood) lead protest on World Bee Day in town with British Sugar factory against bee-killing neonicotinoids

Newark was a hive of activity for World Bee Day on Saturday as protesters took to the streets to bring attention to the species’ plight.

Residents had been encouraged to dress in yellow and black to join a community rally to stand up for bees and pollinators.

Around 70 people took part in a rally that involved Protect Newark’s Green Spaces (PNGS) and Extinction Rebellion Newark & Sherwood (XR Newark & Sherwood).

It was a ‘Save the Bees’ rally, protesting against bee-killing pesticides in the UK.

A procession, with three protesters carrying a ‘Save the Bees’ banner at the front, left Riverside Park and marched over Trent Bridge, along Kirkage, Church Street and the market place.

People carried banners with such slogans as ‘Say No to Neonics’, ‘Bee smart – Protect Pollinators’, ‘British Sugar – Not So Sweet’.

To the beat of drums and whistles, the procession stopped on Bridge Street where they enacted through performance happy bees swirling only for a ‘pesticide baddy’ to spray them with chemicals.

The bees then wilt and fade away before coming to lie dead on the road, highlighting for all to see the dramatic affect that pesticides have on pollinators.

As the die-in protest happened, those who had gathered to watch had the reasoning behind the protest explained to them.

Wildflower and bee-friendly seeds were handed out to members of the public along with flyers.

It was said that Newark was an important venue for such a protest as the government had once again permitted the use of bee-killing neonicotinoids to farmers who produce sugar beet processed at the town British Sugar plant.

People were asked as to whether they had noticed a decline in the number of bees in their gardens?

A spokesperson for both groups said “For the third year running, we’ve been let down by our government.

“They have once again approved the use of bee-killing neonicotinoids on this year’s sugar beet crop — against the advice of their own experts.

“Despite the EU banning the use of neonics in 2018, the British Government has again approved these incredibly toxic chemicals for use on the UK’s sugar beet crops.

“This decision, against the advice of the HEC as well as the Government’s own committee on pesticides, is short-sighted, counterproductive and devastating for wildlife.

“Neonics are highly toxic to all insects but particularly devastating to pollinators, which play a huge role in our food security.

“These chemicals are indiscriminate and kill other helpful species such as ladybirds which would otherwise predate pest species and can build in dependency on chemical solutions.

“Neonics are known to cause weight loss in birds that consume small doses and also impact soil health and water courses.

“We are calling on the government to stop authorising the use of this harmful chemical behind closed doors without a democratic vote and to support farmers to transition to more sustainable regenerative practice.”

The Wildlife Trust website states that neonicotinoid chemicals are particularly harmful to bees, with just a single teaspoon containing enough toxin to kill 1.25 billion honeybees.