Almost one-third of all oilseed rape in the UK could be treated with a banned insecticide if the government grants an "emergency" exemption to the pesticide manufacturer Syngenta, it has emerged. The agro-chemical company's neonicotinoid pesticide was given a three-year ban by the European Union in 2013 due to research linking it to serious harm in bees. The news of Syngenta's application comes a day after an international scientific review concluded there was "clear evidence of [neonicotinoid] harm sufficient to trigger regulatory action". Neonicotinoids are the world's most widely used insecticide and the panel said contamination was so pervasive it threatened global food production. "Syngenta has made this emergency use application on behalf of UK farmers for a limited use of neonicotinoid seed treatment in two specific contexts where alternative approaches are not effective and a danger to production exists," said a company spokesman.