| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Azura Skye |
Government response to Saving BeesThere was a petition going around last year to help save the honey bee... here is the Government's reply. (http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page19678)Savethebee - epetition response We received a petition asking: “We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to agree to adequate annual funding to help protect the honey bees in the UK in order to guarantee future generations the delights of honey on hot toast with butter, as well as the other many benefits of cross pollination.” The Government remains committed to supporting beekeeping and recognises the crucial role that bees and other pollinators play in the biodiversity, productivity and health of our environment. The Government has therefore allocated new resources to the Bee Health Programme for the next two years to fund the implementation of the first stage of “Healthy Bees”, a ten-year plan to protect and improve the health of honeybees in England and Wales, launched on 9th March. This was drawn up in consultation with interested organisations in the beekeeping sector. An additional £1.135 million will be provided to the National Bee Unit in 2009/10 and £1.158 million in 2010/11, on top of its current £1.3 million. “Healthy Bees” addresses the importance of increasing the numbers of beekeepers who are known to the National Bee Unit, which will help to ascertain the disease status of their bees and to provide information for a national assessment of the health of honey bees. Additional funds are also being provided for research, over the next five years, tripling the research budget from £200,000 to £600,000 per year. £500,000 of this will be contributed to a major programme which will consider the problems facing pollinators. Up to £10m of funding will be made available to research teams across the UK under the Living With Environmental Change partnership, the major initiative by UK funders to help the UK respond effectively to changes to our environment. This is a joint initiative from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Natural Environment Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, the Scottish Government and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The operational mechanics are still under discussion, but projects will be awarded through open competition and we hope that a call for research proposals will be issued in late spring or early summer. |