格列喵

Bee-harming pesticides found in majority of English waterways

（在英國大部分的水源找到危害蜜蜂的殺蟲劑）

Pesticides that harm bees were found in the "majority" of English waterways tested in the last year, according to data analysis by two environmental charities.

The Rivers Trust and Wildlife and Countryside Link found neonicotinoid pesticides were present in 85% of English rivers tested by the Environment Agency between 2023 and 2024.

根據兩個環境的慈善團體數據分析，在去年的英文水測方式發現，殺蟲劑是對蜜蜂有害主要原因。河流信託基金和野生動物與鄉村共同發現，環境署在 2023 年至 2024 年間測試的 85% 的英國河流中都存在新菸鹼類殺蟲劑。

The banned pesticide was signed off for emergency use by the previous government to combat a disease impacting sugar beet crops – a decision for which the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' (Defra) is now being investigated.

這個被禁止的殺蟲劑被前一個政府簽屬，為了對抗甜菜根農作的疾病，這個決定尚在環境食物鄉村事務部門調查

to combat a disease impact= 對抗疾病的影響

signed off for =簽署

On Monday, the government promised "to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides that threaten bees and other vital pollinators.”The Office for Environmental Protection is currently investigating Defra's emergency authorisation for the use of a type of neonicotinoid on sugar beet seeds in 2023 and 2024.

周一政府保證禁止對蜜蜂或其他重要的傳粉媒介使用新菸鹼類殺蟲劑。環境保護政府部門最近調查2023和2024年使用新菸鹼類殺蟲劑的甜菜根種子授權。

vital pollinators =重要的傳粉媒介者

(like birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and other small mammals)

The watchdog is exploring whether the government failed to comply with environmental laws when it previously granted the use of the banned pesticide. Neonicotinoids are a group of insecticides used in agriculture, horticulture and veterinary medicine to control pests - but they also harm bees and other beneficial insects.

They are currently used by sugar beet farmers to protect their crops from virus yellows, a disease spread by aphids.

The watchdog （一種監控的軟體）正在探究政府部門之前允許使用禁用殺蟲劑是否未遵守環境法規。該殺蟲劑是用於農作物、園藝、獸醫藥方去控制昆蟲，但是也會傷害蜜蜂和其他有益的昆蟲，他們最近被用於甜菜根農場者，去保護他們的農作物遠離蚜蟲散布的黃枯病毒。

failed to comply with … law=未遵守…法

previously granted the use of…= 先前同意用於 …

horticulture=園藝

disease spread by aphids =由蚜蟲所散布疾病

Bee-harming neonicotinoid use "makes a mockery" of ban　

有害於蜜蜂的殺蟲劑使用是對禁用規定的嘲弄　

In March, Dan Green, agriculture director for British Sugar, said the pesticide was needed "to protect the UK sugar beet crop and farmer livelihoods".

But environmental charities are calling on the government "enforce and extend" the ban on the use of Neonicotinoid to protect plant and animal health. The charities are also calling for better river monitoring by the agency.

三月份英國甜農作董事丹．綠，殺蟲劑是被需要用來保護甜菜根作物和其他賴以為生農作物，但是環境慈善團體正呼籲政府執行及延長該禁止使用新菸鹼類殺蟲劑已力保護動植物動健康

enforce and extend

call for =呼籲；要求、需要

Dr Richard Gill, principle researcher at Imperial College, said that while high concentrations of neonicotinoids can kill bees, smaller quantities can also have "cumulative, sub-lethal" effects on the pollinators, changing their behaviour and even impacting their genes.

帝國大學主要研究者李察吉爾博士說，高濃度的殺蟲劑會殺死蜜蜂；較低劑量可積累間接致死，影響傳播花粉、改變行為模式甚至影響牠們的基因。

high concentrations of ….=高濃度的…

cumulative 可累積的

sub-lethal 亞死亡

Sublethal effects may affect, among others, life span, development, population growth, fertility and behaviour, such as feeding or foraging

亞致死效應可能會影響壽命、發展、人口成長、生育力和行為，例如進食或覓食

Under the influence of neonicotinoids, bees can struggle to fly, and "seem to bring back less pollen" to their hives, Dr Gill said.　在殺蟲劑的影響下蜜蜂飛行困難且帶回去的花粉也越來越少。

The latest analysis of Environment Agency figures comes against a backdrop of declining bee populations across the country.　A number of factors - including changes in the use of agricultural land, urbanisation, the impact of climate change, pesticide use and emerging pathogens - means many bee species are "not doing very well", Dr Gill said.

"It is concerning that we're finding these pesticides in the rivers," Dr Gill said, adding it was important to monitor the concentration of the chemicals in the waterways.

環境代理機構之最新數據分析，整個國家蜜蜂數量下降。多數的因素包括農耕土地使用方式、都市….、氣候變遷影響、殺蟲劑的使用及新出現的病原體，代表了許多對很多昆蟲種類不適很好。重要的是我們正在找出這些在河流中的殺蟲劑，吉爾博士更是說監控水路中的化學濃度是很重要。

Water pollution: How clean are the UK's rivers and lakes?

水源汙染：英國的河流及湖泊有多乾淨？

Amy Fairman of the River Action campaign group said agricultural waste is responsible for a greater percentage of water pollution than sewage in the UK.

She said that while their impact on bees is widely recognised, neonicotinoids also harm marine ecosystems, including river insects.　河流行動活動團體艾米費爾曼說，農業廢棄物造成的水源汙染比汙水還高。

"River insects are right at the bottom of the food chain," she told BBC News. "If we're destroying the bottom of the food chain in our rivers, this is going to have a knock-on effect."　他告訴bbc新聞，河流中的昆蟲在食物鏈的對底端，如果我們正持續摧毀我們河流中對底堆的食物鏈，將會發生連鎖反應。

The chemicals are also "notably quite dangerous to human health", Ms Fairman said.

She suggested people considering swimming in polluted rivers should "understand the levels of contamination" and "educate" themselves about the risks before entering the water.

化學物也尤其對人們健康產生危險，他說人們也會考量去有汙染的水源中游泳，應該了解污染的程度及教育牠們進入水源的危險

The latest analysis suggests a slight increase in neonicotinoids levels compared to previous years. The Rivers Trust and Wildlife and Countryside Link has pointed out its analysis is based on a small sample size of data provided by the Environment Agency.

The charities are calling for more comprehensive river monitoring by the regulator after only a small proportion of the country's river sites were tested for neonicotinoids in the last year.

最新的分析建議新菸鹼類殺蟲劑中和前一年度相比，較輕微增加。河流信託及野生鄉村聯合指出，這個分析報導由環境代理機構係基於一個小範圍數據。慈善團體呼籲需要立法者去年僅用國家小比佔的河流地點測試新菸鹼類殺蟲劑，更加綜合性的河流測試。

comprehensive (a.)全面的、綜合的、詳盡的、包羅萬象的

call for sth. =需要、應該；呼籲、要求

At the Labour Party conference in September, Environment Secretary Steve Reed committed to "restore nature and stop animal waste, fertiliser and pesticide pollution running into our waterways." On Monday, a Defra spokesperson said the department is "committed to tackling all sources of pollution to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.

在就九月份勞工會議一方，環境秘書Steve Reed承諾說，恢復自然和停止動物廢棄物、化肥及殺蟲劑的進入我們水源的污染。星期一，Defra發言人說  部門已經承諾為了清理乾淨我們的河流、湖泊及海洋，將追蹤所有汙染源。

*restore 恢復

“This government has been clear that we will change existing policies to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides that threaten bees and other vital pollinators.”

The Environment Agency said its testing was "specifically targeted at sites where we want to better understand the chemical risk and any action needed to protect the environment."

政府已經闡明我們將改變現有的政策，去禁止會威脅蜜蜂和其他可以傳播花粉動物的新菸鹼類殺蟲劑。環境局表示，其測試“專門針對我們希望更好地了解化學風險以及保護環境所需採取的行動的地點。”

to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides