MOTION
MONDAY 8 June 2009

DECLINE IN BEE POPULATION

Mr Deputy Speaker the decline in the number of bees all over the world, but especially in Europe, poses a threat not just to honey production but to the pollination of plants leading to food production.

According to the Institute of Northern Ireland Beekeepers around 50 per cent of Northern Ireland’s honeybees had vanished in 2008. The reason for this decline has been given as Colony Collapse Disorder which means bees literally disappear from their hives without trace.

Sir Roland Jackson, Chief executive of the British Science Association tells us that the UK bee population has also undergone radical change over the past few years and billions of bees are dying from unknown causes.

Europe has taken this matter seriously and at the end of November last year the European Parliament adopted a motion for resolution of the problems in beekeeping. This motion called on all 27 EU Governments and the European Commission (which administers Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy) to take urgent action.

Westminster after a lengthy debate supported the initiative and called for more urgent action to protect the bee population.

In the UK alone, bees contribute £165m a year to the economy through pollination.

Bees play a crucial role in pollinating some 90 commercial crops worldwide.

It has been estimated that up to one third of our bees in the UK have been destroyed by diseases, parasites and pesticides since last Autumn.

We need more research into these areas and a pooling of knowledge between Member States.

But it all starts with a realisation that there is a problem. Nature’s number one pollinating machine appears to be breaking down and no one knows for sure why!

DEFRA has made a start with some £4.3m being made available over the next 5 years to support the work of the National Bee Unit and bee health research.

Some of the UK’s major research funders have joined together to launch an important new research programme. The purpose is to develop a better understanding of the complex relationships between biological and environmental factors which affect the health and lifespan of the pollinators.

The European Union is developing new legislation which will include a clause relating to pesticides harmful to honeybee health. Some have already been identified as harmful and others are thought to build up in pollen which the bees take back to the hive and feed the young. Tests recently carried out in Germany, following large scale bee die-offs showed that 29 out of 30 bees examined had a build up of lethal chemicals.

The new legislation is still being developed and is not likely to be implemented in the UK until 2011. The resultant phase out of dangerous chemicals could take 5 years.

Mr Deputy Speaker we cannot wait that long before acting against the killer chemicals and need a complete ban on pesticide treatment whilst crops are in flower and a reduction in modified seed.

The British Beekeepers Association has carried out some excellent work in trying to ascertain what is happening to the bee population.

Normal winter losses were between 5 and 10 per cent. In 2006 beekeepers were finding mysterious losses between 10 and 15 per cent over the winter. Large numbers of bees were dying and although similarities existed to what is called Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD, there were differences.

The Association conducted a study of 10per cent of its 11500 members and found that the average loss of bees was 30 per cent. i.e. three times the expected level.

It was therefore essential that the public and the Government should focus their attention on this serious situation.

In the House of Lords, Lord Rooker stated in reply to a question –

"There is no specific information on the impact that the large scale loss of honeybees would have on the economy, although it could be significant."

We are not just considering the loss of honey production but also the loss of the Country’s principal army of pollinators.

This could lead to a devastating affect on the pollination of crops not only in the UK but across the world.

There would be a resultant impact on the environment and wildlife which depend on bees to pollinate fruits, vegetables and seeds for their survival.

In Northern Ireland for example, the cooking apple industry in Armagh and East Tyrone are worth around £25m and £50m respectively to our economy.

This industry relies and depends entirely on this humble insect for pollination.

The Prime Minister has drawn attention to the problem of global food shortages and high transport costs. It therefore makes sense that every country maximises its potential to produce home grown food and I’m sure the Minister will agree with me on this point.

I have addressed a series of questions to the Minister over recent months and have had very short responses.

No sense of urgency was displayed and the Department appeared to be complacent if not in denial of the existence of a problem.

Indeed there are examples that the response to different questions from Members of this House produced the same stereotype reply.

Mr Deputy Speaker all other parts of the UK have identified a problem with our bee population. Scotland produced its own Honey Bee Health Strategy in 2008.

DEFRA in England and Wales produced a strategy entitled – Healthy Bees in March of this year.

I am unaware of the Irish republic’s approach which should be developed in concert with Northern Ireland. As bees do not recognise the border! Conversely the island status of Ireland presents a unique opportunity to keep pests and diseases out.

Our Department of Agriculture has recently produced a draft Contingency Plan for Exotic Pests and Diseases. The Plan is out for limited consultation but does not address the current problem of the falling bee population in Northern Ireland.

The Plan does not indicate that any new research is anticipated and there is no reference to any additional resources being made available.

We need a bee health strategy that involves all the stakeholders. It must embrace effective communications, surveillance and continuous monitoring. It has to be a short recordable document dealing with the strategy rather than the implementation detail.

The Strategy must involve training and high standards of husbandry.

The Strategy must identify adequate funding for research and facilitate work in conjunction with other regions.

The funding has to be on a scale to match the threat.

We need to regulate imports and have effective measures to prevent the introduction of further parasitical infestation whether relating to the importation of Queens or other bees.

We need to seriously consider the use of pesticides both on bees and on the creation of pest resistant mite populations or other parasites.

I will end with a quote from Einstein who clearly had a concern for the humble bee many years ago.

"If the bee disappeared from the surface of the Globe, then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more men.

Mr Deputy Speaker I am pleased to propose the Motion.

MOTION
MONDAY 8 June 2009

DECLINE IN BEE POPULATION

Mr Deputy Speaker the decline in the number of bees all over the world, but especially in Europe, poses a threat not just to honey production but to the pollination of plants leading to food production.

According to the Institute of Northern Ireland Beekeepers around 50 per cent of Northern Ireland’s honeybees had vanished in 2008. The reason for this decline has been given as Colony Collapse Disorder which means bees literally disappear from their hives without trace.

Sir Roland Jackson, Chief executive of the British Science Association tells us that the UK bee population has also undergone radical change over the past few years and billions of bees are dying from unknown causes.

Europe has taken this matter seriously and at the end of November last year the European Parliament adopted a motion for resolution of the problems in beekeeping. This motion called on all 27 EU Governments and the European Commission (which administers Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy) to take urgent action.

Westminster after a lengthy debate supported the initiative and called for more urgent action to protect the bee population.

In the UK alone, bees contribute £165m a year to the economy through pollination.

Bees play a crucial role in pollinating some 90 commercial crops worldwide.

It has been estimated that up to one third of our bees in the UK have been destroyed by diseases, parasites and pesticides since last Autumn.

We need more research into these areas and a pooling of knowledge between Member States.

But it all starts with a realisation that there is a problem. Nature’s number one pollinating machine appears to be breaking down and no one knows for sure why!

DEFRA has made a start with some £4.3m being made available over the next 5 years to support the work of the National Bee Unit and bee health research.

Some of the UK’s major research funders have joined together to launch an important new research programme. The purpose is to develop a better understanding of the complex relationships between biological and environmental factors which affect the health and lifespan of the pollinators.

The European Union is developing new legislation which will include a clause relating to pesticides harmful to honeybee health. Some have already been identified as harmful and others are thought to build up in pollen which the bees take back to the hive and feed the young. Tests recently carried out in Germany, following large scale bee die-offs showed that 29 out of 30 bees examined had a build up of lethal chemicals.

The new legislation is still being developed and is not likely to be implemented in the UK until 2011. The resultant phase out of dangerous chemicals could take 5 years.

Mr Deputy Speaker we cannot wait that long before acting against the killer chemicals and need a complete ban on pesticide treatment whilst crops are in flower and a reduction in modified seed.

The British Beekeepers Association has carried out some excellent work in trying to ascertain what is happening to the bee population.

Normal winter losses were between 5 and 10 per cent. In 2006 beekeepers were finding mysterious losses between 10 and 15 per cent over the winter. Large numbers of bees were dying and although similarities existed to what is called Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD, there were differences.

The Association conducted a study of 10per cent of its 11500 members and found that the average loss of bees was 30 per cent. i.e. three times the expected level.

It was therefore essential that the public and the Government should focus their attention on this serious situation.

In the House of Lords, Lord Rooker stated in reply to a question –

"There is no specific information on the impact that the large scale loss of honeybees would have on the economy, although it could be significant."

We are not just considering the loss of honey production but also the loss of the Country’s principal army of pollinators.

This could lead to a devastating affect on the pollination of crops not only in the UK but across the world.

There would be a resultant impact on the environment and wildlife which depend on bees to pollinate fruits, vegetables and seeds for their survival.

In Northern Ireland for example, the cooking apple industry in Armagh and East Tyrone are worth around £25m and £50m respectively to our economy.

This industry relies and depends entirely on this humble insect for pollination.

The Prime Minister has drawn attention to the problem of global food shortages and high transport costs. It therefore makes sense that every country maximises its potential to produce home grown food and I’m sure the Minister will agree with me on this point.

I have addressed a series of questions to the Minister over recent months and have had very short responses.

No sense of urgency was displayed and the Department appeared to be complacent if not in denial of the existence of a problem.

Indeed there are examples that the response to different questions from Members of this House produced the same stereotype reply.

Mr Deputy Speaker all other parts of the UK have identified a problem with our bee population. Scotland produced its own Honey Bee Health Strategy in 2008.

DEFRA in England and Wales produced a strategy entitled – Healthy Bees in March of this year.

I am unaware of the Irish republic’s approach which should be developed in concert with Northern Ireland. As bees do not recognise the border! Conversely the island status of Ireland presents a unique opportunity to keep pests and diseases out.

Our Department of Agriculture has recently produced a draft Contingency Plan for Exotic Pests and Diseases. The Plan is out for limited consultation but does not address the current problem of the falling bee population in Northern Ireland.

The Plan does not indicate that any new research is anticipated and there is no reference to any additional resources being made available.

We need a bee health strategy that involves all the stakeholders. It must embrace effective communications, surveillance and continuous monitoring. It has to be a short recordable document dealing with the strategy rather than the implementation detail.

The Strategy must involve training and high standards of husbandry.

The Strategy must identify adequate funding for research and facilitate work in conjunction with other regions.

The funding has to be on a scale to match the threat.

We need to regulate imports and have effective measures to prevent the introduction of further parasitical infestation whether relating to the importation of Queens or other bees.

We need to seriously consider the use of pesticides both on bees and on the creation of pest resistant mite populations or other parasites.

I will end with a quote from Einstein who clearly had a concern for the humble bee many years ago.

"If the bee disappeared from the surface of the Globe, then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more men.

Mr Deputy Speaker I am pleased to propose the Motion.