Environmentalists using plaque protest to urge Hucknall MP to back ban on bee-killing pesticides

As part of the campaign led by Newark & Sherwood branch of Extinction Rebellion, a series of satirical blue plaques are set to appear across Mr Spencer’s constituency from Hucknall to Sherwood Forest.

The plaques, campaigners claim, highlight the decision taken by Mr Spencer this year to back licensing the use of the banned neonicotinoid pesticide for use on the sugar beet crop

Extinction Rebellion say the plaques will be accompanied with QR codes giving information about the campaign and links to a national petition and accompanying email campaign.

The plaques are part of an ongoing campaign against pesticide use by Extinction Rebellion, which included a protest march and bee ‘die-in’ in Hucknall earlier this year.

The pesticides, known as neonics, are known to be highly toxic to bees and other pollinators, with Wildlife Trusts stating that they are ‘harmful to insect life in miniscule amounts – for example just one teaspoon of neonicotinoid is enough to deliver a lethal dose to 1.25 billion honeybees’.

Extinction Rebellion is urging people to support the blue plaque action and contact Mr Spencer and their local MP about the issue though their website at https://linktr.ee/xrnewark

Simon Tilley, a Nottinghamshire beekeeper, said: “For the past three years the Government has licensed a banned neonicotinoid pesticide for use on the sugar beet crop and this is despite assurances that the industry needed no more than three years to develop alternatives, and yet here we are again going into 2024 with another application on the table.

"I personally will be supporting the campaign and looking out for the plaques.”

Mr Spencer said: “The Government have received a new application which is currently being considered for the use of the pesticide and we will be listening to all evidence before a decision is made.

"I very much value all our wildlife including the powerful role bees play in our food chain and that is why we launched the Healthy Bees Plan 2030 which I fully support.”