Sep. 25 2023
Source Page: Ministry of Justice Climate Change and SustainabilityFound: Ministry of Justice Climate Change and Sustainability
Oral Evidence Jul. 05 2023
Committee: Science, Innovation and Technology CommitteeFound: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Oral Evidence
Written Evidence May. 17 2023
Inquiry: Insect decline and UK food securityFound: INS0032 - Insect decline and UK food security University of Reading, School of Agriculture, policy and
Written Evidence May. 17 2023
Inquiry: Insect decline and UK food securityFound: INS0031 - Insect decline and UK food security Lancashire Wildlife Trust Written Evidence
Written Evidence May. 17 2023
Inquiry: Insect decline and UK food securityFound: INS0024 - Insect decline and UK food security National Farmers' Union of England and Wales (NFU) Written
Written Evidence May. 17 2023
Inquiry: Insect decline and UK food securityFound: INS0007 - Insect decline and UK food security University of Bristol, and University of Bristol Written
Ban the use of chemical pesticides
- Final Signatures: 143
Ban the use of chemical pesticides by householders, Councils and on allotments to protect bees and other pollinators, and maintain insect populations as food for birds and other insectivores.
Found: Ban the use of chemical pesticides by householders, Councils and on allotments to protect bees and other
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the health of the bee population in the UK.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The bee population is comprised of wild bees, of which there are more than 250 species in the UK, and honey bee colonies managed by beekeepers and bee farmers.
Defra’s indicator of the status of pollinating insects was last published in December 2022. Within this wider indicator, the wild bee index fluctuates around its initial value over much of the time series, and in 2019 (the latest year for which we have published data) it was estimated to be 2% higher than in 1980. However, a larger proportion of bee species have declined than increased over the long term (33% declined and 22% increased), as well as over the short term, (37% declined and 28% increased).
The wider pollinating insect indicator identifies changes in the distribution of wild bees and hoverflies in the UK and shows an overall decrease from 1987 onwards. In 2019 the indicator had declined by 21% compared to its value in 1980 and 6% compared to its value in 2014.
Protecting pollinators such as bees, and halting their decline, is a priority, and we are taking action to support them and the wider natural environment of which they are a vital component. Our legally binding target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030 underlines our ambition. The Government is working alongside many partners to implement the provisions in the National Pollinator Strategy. The Strategy sets out how Government, conservation groups, farmers, beekeepers and researchers can work together to improve the status of wild and managed pollinating insect species in England on farmland, in urban areas and in gardens. Additionally, our Pollinator Action Plan for 2021-2024 sets out more specifically how we will continue to act to fulfil the vision, aims and objectives of the strategy.
Our annual Hive Count exercise indicates that numbers of managed honey bees have increased in recent years, from around 252,000 UK colonies in 2017 to 288,000 in 2022. Defra supports the honey bee population through the work of the National Bee Unit inspectorate, which operates our bee pest surveillance programmes and provides free training and advice to beekeepers, including on pest and disease recognition. Bee health is a devolved matter. However, Defra and the Welsh Government work together on bee health and, in 2020, we jointly published the Healthy Bees Plan 2030. The Welsh Government also funds the National Bee Unit to deliver a bee health programme in Wales.
Written Evidence Jul. 20 2023
Inquiry: Insect decline and UK food securityFound: INS0042 - Insect decline and UK food security Royal Horticultural Society Written Evidence
Written Evidence May. 17 2023
Inquiry: Insect decline and UK food securityFound: INS0021 - Insect decline and UK food security The Pesticide Collaboration Written Evidence