Defra targets bee decline
A review of bee and other pollinator populations has been announced by the Government


The government has launched an ‘urgent and comprehensive' review of why bees and other pollinators are in rapid decline across the UK
Speaking at a Bee Summit organised by Friends of the Earth, Lord de Mauley, minister at the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs, highlighted the need to ‘develop a better understanding of the factors that can harm these insects and the changes that government, other organisations and individuals can make to help'.
‘Pollinators play a vital role in the security of our food supply and the quality of our natural environment' but a third of all honeybee colonies in England were lost over the winter of 2012-13 according to the British Beekeepers Association.
** Subscribe to Country Life; Country Life on Ipad
‘Changes in land use, the types of crop grown, alien species - these all have an impact' said Lord de Mauley and ‘the relative importance of these factors and their interactions is not well understood'.
The review will look at current initiatives to help pollinators and along with a series of expert workshops in September will form the basis of a new ‘National Pollinator Strategy', aimed at a more integrated approach to bees and other insects.
A National Trust report at the weekend pointed out that the numbers of winged insects have suffered after the long, cold spring this year, including bees, moths and butterflies. This could lead to shortages of food for birds and bats, the report warned.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
* Follow Country Life magazine on Twitter
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
A well-connected rural playground with 23 acres on the edge of the South Downs National Park
Old House Farm is an impressive family home with a wealth of amenities that would inspire any rural passion.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
The UK gets its first ‘European stork village’ — and it's in West Sussex
Although the mortality rate among white storks can be up to 90%, the future looks rosy for breeding pairs in southern England.
By Rosie Paterson Published