Cherry growers will be allowed to use two insecticides to combat an invasive fruitfly for another year following pressure from MPs.

The fruit fly (Drosophila suzukii ) has been around for a decade in the Netherlands and farmers have been given special dispensation for the insecticides Exirel and Tracer.

Agriculture minister Piet Adema decided to withdraw the dispensation based on a report in which food safety watchdog NVWA warned that around a third of growers did not keep to the rules surrounding the safe use of insecticides. Too frequent applications and high dosages pose a threat to groundwater, the NVWA said.

Adema’s decision was criticised by fruit growers who feared their businesses would suffer. BBB MPs tabled a motion to allow growers to use the insecticides for another year, backed by a majority of MPs who said the “Dutch cherry is part of Dutch culture”.

In his reaction to the motion, in which he reversed his earlier decision, Adema said the number of growers who broke the rules had “gone down significantly”, from 92% “in the past” to 42% in 2023.

The minister also said there are “no alternatives” to the insecticides although according to Wageningen University, growers can protect their crop by using nets and by removing and destroying rotting fruit to prevent new generations of fruit fly from developing.