Butterfly Conservation has declared a Butterfly Emergency. You might be wondering why we need to declare such urgent action right now, and what it means for our butterflies and moths.

Find out more about what we’re asking the Government to do and discover the answers to all of the questions you might have about the butterfly emergency and neonicotinoids.

What is a Butterfly Emergency – and why now?

Declaring a butterfly emergency recognises that butterfly populations in the UK are in crisis and we need to take action before it is too late.

The weather affects butterfly numbers, and this year’s wet spring and low summer temperatures will have had an impact, but this is part of a longer-term trend: 80% of butterfly species in the UK have declined since the 1970s. Half of all British butterfly species are Red Listed as threatened or Near Threatened with extinction.

Why do butterflies matter?

Butterflies are recognised as valuable environmental indicators, as they are some of our best monitored insects through schemes such as Big Butterfly Count and UKBMS. Butterflies have short life cycles and therefore react quickly to environmental changes – so are our canary in the coalmine for the wider environment.

What are neonics?

Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticides developed in the 1980s – insect killing chemicals. Their use increased significantly in the mid-2000s, and they are currently the most widely used insecticides in the world. Known as neonics, they are primarily used in agriculture, but are also used in forestry, gardening, and veterinary medicines (e.g. as a component of topical flea treatments).

How do neonics work?

Neonicotinoids work by irreversibly binding to cells in the central nervous system of insects. The overstimulation of receptors in these cells ultimately causes paralysis and death. Although neonicotinoids are used to kill crop pests, it is very hard to stop them affecting other insect species too, including pollinators.

How do farmers use them?

Neonicotinoids are applied on seeds before sowing, though they can also be applied directly to the soil. Neonicotinoids are readily absorbed by growing plants as they take up water. Consequently, they spread throughout a plant, including to the nectar and pollen, making them a particular problem for pollinators.  

Because they are soluble in water, excess neonicotinoids (i.e. amounts not absorbed by plants) can be transferred through the soil to non-target areas, such as flower-rich field margins (a particular concern for butterflies and moths) and often leech into waterways, where they pose risks to aquatic wildlife.

What is the impact of neonics on butterflies and moths?

Neonicotinoids have been shown to cause death and population declines in butterflies and moths. Previous work from Butterfly Conservation and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology found a correlation between increased neonicotinoid use and butterfly population declines - higher neonicotinoid usage is associated with more severe declines.

Aren’t neonics already banned?

Yes! But the UK Government granted derogations in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 for sugar beet farmers to combat aphids causing ‘Virus Yellows’. The minister responsible has said that they will change polices to prevent the use of neonics for sugar beet but has given no timeline for this to happen.

Another application has been made for emergency authorisation of neonicotinoids again next year.

We need an outright ban on all butterfly-killing neonicotinoids, immediately, with no exemptions. The time for promises has gone, and the time to act for nature is now. 

Call on the Government to take urgent action

We're calling on the Government to:

  1. Declare a nature emergency
  2. Implement an immediate and permanent ban on butterfly-harming neonicotinoid pesticides, without exceptions.

If you agree, sign our letter and join leading conservation figures in calling on the Government to take action now. 

Add your voice