Departmental Publication (Policy and Engagement)
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Feb. 09 2024

Source Page: Government response to House of Lords, Horticultural Sector Committee - report of session 2022 to 2023
Document: Government response to the House of Lords, Horticultural Sector Committee - report of session 2022 to 2023 (PDF)

Found: of developing new priorities for pollinators post -2024.

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Westminster Hall
Hedgerows: Legal Protection - Wed 24 Jan 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Mentions:
1: Selaine Saxby (Con - North Devon) Hedges are also home to precious pollinators, without which we would all go hungry. - Speech Link
2: Sarah Dyke (LD - Somerton and Frome) have spoken before about the importance of cider in my part of Somerset, and one of the best pollinators - Speech Link
3: Rebecca Pow (Con - Taunton Deane) pollinators to shelter and hibernate in; and of course they sequester carbon. - Speech Link

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Non-Departmental Publication (Policy paper)
Office for Environmental Protection

Jan. 17 2024

Source Page: Progress in improving the natural environment in England 2022 to 2023
Document: Progress in improving the natural environment in England 2022 to 2023 (PDF)

Found: and preserving and enhancing natural capital.

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Departmental Publication (Open consultation)
Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

Jan. 11 2024

Source Page: Approach to siting new nuclear power stations beyond 2025
Document: Nuclear National Policy Statement: AoS scoping report appendices volume 1 (PDF)

Found: National Pollinator Strategy 2014 -2024 It is recognised that Pollinators face many pressures which

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Select Committee

Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust

INS0050 - Insect decline and UK food security

Written Evidence Jan. 10 2024

Inquiry: Insect decline and UK food security
Inquiry Status: Closed
Committee: Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Found: INS0050 - Insect decline and UK food security Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust Written Evidence

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Select Committee

Northumbria University, Northumbria University, Northumbria University, Northumbria University, Northumbria University, Northumbria University, and Northumbria University

UGS0062 - Urban Green Spaces

Written Evidence Jan. 09 2024

Inquiry: Urban Green Spaces
Inquiry Status: Closed
Committee: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (Department: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Found: University, Northumbria University, Northumbria University, Northumbria University, Northumbria University, and

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Written Question

Hornets: Mid Bedfordshire

Tuesday 19th December 2023

Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Mid Bedfordshire)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the resources available to beekeepers to tackle the impact of Asian Hornets on (a) honey bees and (b) other wild pollinators in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises that honey bees and wild pollinators are an essential part of our environment and play a crucial role in food production. All pollinators contribute the equivalent of more than £500 million a year to UK agriculture and food production, by improving crop quality and quantity. Pollinators are also beneficial to our wider, natural ecosystems.

Recognising the potential impact that Asian hornet would have on honey bees and wild pollinators, Defra, in collaboration with the Welsh Government, has developed the Asian hornet contingency plan which details the response to Asian hornet. The plan is regularly reviewed and was last updated in January 2023. The operational response is carried out by the National Bee Unit (NBU), part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

In 2023 the NBU has located and destroyed 72 nests in 56 locations. The NBU has now fine-tuned its response and enhanced its preparedness, and it can frequently find a nest within a day of an initial sighting being reported.

The Defra funding for the NBU is to deliver the Bee Health Programme and other agreed actions including responding to Asian hornet. This includes ensuring that NBU inspectors’ expertise is maintained through training, and that they have the necessary equipment and support to work effectively.

NBU has the necessary skills and experience and is therefore best placed to deliver the operational response.

We appreciate the vital role that beekeepers take in the response through helping raise awareness of the threat of Asian hornet, educating people in identifying these insects, encouraging them to report any suspected sightings and monitoring traps. Accurate and timely reporting is critical to the response and helps the NBU to continue to respond quickly and effectively to any potential nests.

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Select Committee

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

INS0049 - Insect decline and UK food security

Written Evidence Dec. 13 2023

Inquiry: Insect decline and UK food security
Inquiry Status: Closed
Committee: Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Found: INS0049 - Insect decline and UK food security Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Written

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