Wednesday, 28th January 2009
Letter for publication welcoming Westminster’s investment in bees
Dear Sir,
I welcome the Westminster Government’s announcement that they will provide an extra £4.3m into protecting bees and conducting research into the threats they face. It is, however, unfortunate, that they have waited until the crisis in the collapsing UK bee population has almost developed into a catastrophe. Last year Scotland's beekeepers saw a 30% decrease in bee populations after a summer of terrible weather. Colony collapse disorder (CCD) has become commonplace.
There is an immediate need for such research to establish the exact cause of CCD so that we can urgently put measures in place to combat the decline. One immediate step would involve the support of farmers, gardeners and the general public, who could sow small strips of nectar-rich flowering plants such as phacelia, borage charlock and wild white clover. These would create a haven for bees and would relieve much of the stress caused by modern farming practices and unforgiving weather patterns.
A collapsing bee population will not only affect the production of honey. We rely on bees to pollinate more than 70% of global food crops, including fruit, nuts, soya beans, onions, carrots, broccoli, sunflowers and much, much more. If we continue to neglect the global bee population then this will have a dramatic effect on our already strained world food supplies. We must do more.
Yours sincerely
Struan Stevenson MEP
