New Study Finds Pesticides Contaminating 100% of UK Garden Birds Tested - University of Sussex

Research from the University of Sussex out today (21 April 2026) has discovered widespread contamination by pesticides, commonly found in pet flea and tick treatments, in the feathers, eggs and even chicks of wild birds.

The two new studies, funded by the conservation charity SongBird Survival, raise urgent questions about the environmental risks posed by veterinary treatments that are applied to millions of UK pets every year.

UK Government ministers are currently investigating whether these products, which can currently be sold anywhere and do not require any professional advice from vets or suitably qualified persons on their use, should be restricted to distribution only by veterinary practitioners or pharmacists. The Government has also said it will launch an education campaign for pet owners on responsible use from spring 2026.

Professor Dave Goulson, Professor Of Biology at the University of Sussex, said: “It was deeply concerning to discover that potent insecticides, long-banned in agriculture but still used as spot-on flea and tick treatments on pets, are widely contaminating rivers and are also found in blue tit and great tit eggs and chicks and in feathers of adult songbirds. This widespread environmental contamination is unacceptable. Defra need to take regulatory steps to sort this mess out as a matter of urgency.”