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Rennie warns of raw deal for Scottish Beekeepers
April 2, 2009 3:00 PM
Scottish beekeepers are getting a raw deal compared to their English counterparts according to Dunfermline and West Fife MP who has called for greater coordination between Westminster and Holyrood to help solve the dramatic decline in the British honeybee population.
Since the winter of 2007 there has been a 30% reduction in the population of domestic honey bees due to varroa destructor mite which has been destroying colonies across the UK. Despite this alarming decline, top civil servant Dame Helen Ghosh last week admitted that the drop in the bee population had "not been a priority".
Mr Rennie, who is due to meet with the Dunfermline and West Fife Beekeepers Association tomorrow, has urged Holyrood to match the extra funding recently put aside for bee health research in England and Wales, and to push for more coordination response to the alarming decline in bee population amongst the home nations.
Commenting Mr Rennie said:
"The Western honey bee plays a vital role within the planet's eco-system, pollinating 70% of the food that we eat and contributing over £165 million per year to agricultural output. Put simply, fewer bees will mean less pollination, a decline in plant life and a huge blow to animal life.
"Scottish bee farmers run up to a quarter of the UK's commercial bee hives and also make up a significant portion of the UK's amateur beekeeping population. Yet despite their importance, Scotland only has four bee inspectors to investigate cases of disease outbreak.
"Crucially the problems facing Scottish beekeepers are unique to the country. The increasing resistance of many bee hives to the treatments for the varroa mite and the cooler seasonal temperatures which render their alternatives ineffective have left many Scottish beekeepers looking for answers.
"Disease doesn't stop at the border between England and Scotland, but this hasn't stopped Holyrood and Westminster plodding along without so much as phone call to each. I want the Scottish Government to take the bull by the horns by redirecting funding into bee health research and coordinating a response with their colleagues in Westminster and the Welsh Assembly to help solve this crisis.
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