It said it is “very concerned” by calls for a suspension of neonicotinoid insecticides in the UK and Europe.
“This is a disproportionate reaction to a complex problem and there is no evidence that such a move will lead to any meaningful improvement in bee health,” said
CPAChief Executive Nick von Westenholz.
“It would nevertheless have a significant impact on the ability of farmers and growers to produce safe and affordable food for UK consumers.
“These products undergo an incredibly rigorous approvals process, which ensures their environmental impact is minimised. Removing crop protection products from use is not ‘playing it safe’, but has serious implications for the food production in the UK and Europe.”
The Commons Environmental Audit Committee has led calls for a ban on some insecticides.
It said the Government must introduce a precautionary moratorium on three pesticides linked to the decline of pollinators - imidacloprid, clothianidin and TMX – that suspends their use on flowering crops attractive to pollinators.
Committee chair Joan Walley MP said:
“Defra seems to be taking an extraordinarily complacent approach to protecting bees given the vital free service that pollinators provide to our economy.
“If farmers had to pollinate fruit and vegetables without the help of insects it would cost hundreds of millions of pounds and we would all be stung by rising food prices.
“Defra ministers have refused to back EU efforts to protect pollinators and can’t even come up with a convincing plan to encourage bee-friendly farming in the UK.”
Two-thirds of wild insect pollinator species - such as bumblebees, hoverflies, butterflies, carrion flies, beetles, midges and moths - have suffered population declines in the UK.
Managed honeybees have also experienced unusually high mortality rates, decreased fertility, increased susceptibility to disease and the loss of hives. Similar trends have been observed in the US and other European countries.
Mr von Westenholz said:
“The reasons that there are declines in some pollinator populations are complicated and not well understood and include factors such as habitat loss, viruses and parasites.
“Efforts at promoting bee health must be focused on tackling these issues. Bees and other pollinators are vital to agriculture and the crop protection industry is committed to working with farmers and others in promoting bee health.”