Nature Studies column

The Nature Studies column by Michael McCarthy published yesterday, under the headline, "Bees, pesticides and Defra's weasel words", said that the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) had placed a statement on its website on Monday denying the truth of a story published in The Independent last week, about the Defra Chief Scientist, Sir Robert Watson, asking for a review of the safety of neonicotinoid pesticides.

In fact, the Defra statement was published a year ago and referred to a different Independent story.