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Honey Bee Health at Risk!

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An Economic and Ecological Disaster in the making!Protect Honey Bee Health

Smokers in Whitehall 5th November 2008
Demonstration and Mass Lobby Westminster 5 November 2008.
See News Item Smokers in Whitehall

Honey bees don’t just produce honey but play a vital role in pollinating plants for food and other crops, making a substantial contribution of £165 million per annum to agricultural output. They also have an important environmental role, being responsible for pollinating wild plants which produce seeds and fruits on which birds and wild animals depend. Honey bees can become sick and colonies die-out. In recent years, bees have come under ever greater threat from pests and diseases which we don’t fully understand or against which the treatments available are ineffective. Increased beekeeping research is thus essential if we are to find answers and be able to protect our bees and the benefits they bring to everyone.

The Government has refused to increase the paltry £200,000 it currently puts into bee health research despite acknowledging the fact that if we don’t act we may lose our honey bees and their massive contribution to agriculture and the environment. There are virtually no wild honey bees left due to the effects of the parasitic varroa mite and the viruses it carries, and for which to date, there is no cure.

Beekeepers are now the sole guardians of the honey bee population in the UK. The British Bee Keepers Association is campaigning to get the Government to change its mind and increase research funding, so that we can protect our honey bees, before it’s too late.

The Facts

  • Honey bees contribute £165 million per annum to the agricultural economy.
  • The Government spends just £200,000 per annum on bee health research.
  • The varroa mite is destroying bee colonies and is resistant to most approved medications.
  • Foul brood diseases are ever present and require constant monitoring and control.
  • New exotic threats such as the small hive beetle are expected in the UK anytime.
  • Colony Collapse Disorder responsible for massive losses in the USA may emerge here.
  • We don’t know enough about bee disease control and the medicines available are inadequate.

What do we want

  • The Government to invest just £1.6 million per annum in research to help find solutions.

What can you do

  1. Sign the BBKA Public Petition.
  2. Get your friends to sign the Petition. Download Petition Form PDF.
  3. Write to your MP. Download Public Letter to Send to MP in Word.
    (MP’s Name - House of Commons, London SW1AA 0AA) or http://www.writetothem.com.
  4. Write to Defra (Lord Rooker, Minister for Sustainable Farming & Food, Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1p 3JR).
  5. Support our campaign fund by making an online donation through PayPal to the British Beekeepers' Association using a Credit Card. On the next screen enter the amount. NB To donate by Credit Card on the PayPal secure server use the 'continue' link (Which is preceded by "Don't have a PayPal account ").

Published by the British Beekeepers’ Association, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire CV8 2LG. Tel 024 7669 6679. E-mail Head Office (this link will take you to the FAQ first)

Our members can download the BBKA research funding campaign tool-kit from the Password Protected Area.

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