Belgium Extends Neonicotinoid Use on Sugar Beet Seed for 2021 – 24th November 2020

For the third year in a row since the European ban on use of neonicotinoids from 2018, Belgium will grant a derogation for sugar beet. Belgian beet growers applaud this decision, as they fear the impact of beet yellowing virus, which provoked major yield losses in France in 2020. However, many beet farmers forgo the use of neonicotinoid treated beet seeds because of the attached major restrictions on following crops, which significantly disrupt the farm crop rotation management.