British Sugar has responded to Extinction Rebellion activists targeting its Wissington factory in Norfolk, saying it also 'wants to protect' the environment.
The company said it is focused on reducing its environmental impact across the business and is part of an industry that has a history of investing in "climate friendly technologies".
It comes after a protest was staged at its south west Norfolk factory last Friday by a small group from the King's Lynn and West Norfolk XR group, who accused British Sugar of heading in the "wrong direction" on climate change.
Activists claim the business is among the largest emitters of carbon dioxide in the county and accused it of supporting the use of a controversial pesticide thiamethoxam, a 'neonicotinoid'.
A spokesperson said: "At a time when nature is under great pressure, particularly vital pollinators like bees, British Sugar is putting profits ahead of planet by using neonicotinoids."
But a British Sugar spokesperson said the company invests in renewable energy that uses pressed sugar beet pulp to generate green electricity, and produces a "wide range of co-products" from waste from the sugar making process.
And they said the company was working on finding alternative solutions instead of using neonicotinoids, after being granted permission for its use for this season in response to a disease harming the beet crop.
They added: “The UK beet sugar industry is part of a thriving rural economy and has a long history of investing in climate friendly technologies as well as making more than sugar within our manufacturing processes.
"For example, we make over 500,000 tonnes of animal feed that avoids some ingredients such as soya beans being imported into the UK.
"We help to de-carbonise road fleets – we were the first company to manufacture bioethanol in the UK, and today our bioethanol is blended into unleaded petrol.
“We fully understand the concerns raised on the use of neonicotinoids, and together with our growers, NFU Sugar and the British Beet Research Organisation, we continue to invest in new technology and research to rapidly progress our plans to tackle Virus Yellows so we no longer need to use neonicotinoids.
"We too want to continue to protect our crop, our countryside and our growers' livelihoods.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here