Organisations such as Network Rail, Highways Agency and the National Trust which manage more than 800,000 hectares of land in England have signed up to the National Pollinator Strategy, and pledged to take actions such as planting more bee-friendly wild flowers and allowing grass to grow longer.
Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said: "As much as one third of the food we eat is pollinated by bees –from apples and pears to strawberries to beans. We now estimate the value of insects pollinating our crops and plants amounts to hundreds of millions of pounds.
"That’s why we are doing everything we can to help them thrive. Not everyone can become a beekeeper, but everyone from major landowners to window-box gardeners can play their part in boosting pollinators."
Defra is setting up bee hives on the roof of their building in London and supermarkets including Waitrose and Coop have been distributing bee-friendly flower seeds to their customers.
Motorway verges, railway embankments and forests will be used to create bee and insect friendly paradises as part of the major new strategy to protect the 1500 species of pollinators in England.
Defra has also announced the first ever wild pollinator and farm wildlife package, which will see more funding made available to farmers and landowners that take steps to protect pollinators through the new Countryside Stewardship Scheme.
NFU reaction
Speaking ahead of the announcement today, NFU President Meurig Raymond said: “The NFU is supportive of the strategy that Liz Truss will reveal today as we recognise the importance of pollinators to our food supply.
“Bees and other pollinators make a crucial contribution to food production and the wider environment through the pollination of many crops and wild plants. While we agree that this strategy will go some way to helping our pollinator populations to thrive, it is important to remember that they are being challenged by a range of factors including habitat loss, pests and diseases, climate change and chemicals they encounter in the environment, such as pesticides. The evidence shows clearly that we can’t single out just one cause of pollinator declines.
“A real strength of the strategy is that it is evidence based. In fact, that evidence shows we do not even know whether our bees and pollinators are still in decline. We know the diversity of our pollinators declined up until the 1980s, but in the last 20 years those declines have slowed or even reversed. We have no idea what the current status of our pollinators is terms of actual numbers of insects, and whether this is declining, stable or increasing. That is why we believe it is critically important that the strategy puts in place a comprehensive national pollinator and pollination monitoring programme.
“No community is doing more to help bees than farming. In 2014, 450,000 hectares were managed under a variety of unpaid Campaign for the Farmed Environment environmental measures and, as part of this, farmers provided 8,000 hectares of flowers for pollinators including wildflower mix, pollen and nectar mix, and flower-rich temporary grass.
“On top of this, this year, the CFE has delivered nearly 40 pollinator themed farm walks and events reaching over 900 farmers across the country. It is also working closely with the rest of the industry to offer subsidised pollen and nectar mixes to farmers. The NFU is hugely encouraged by the fact farming is already delivering for pollinators on a greater scale than any other industry or initiative.
“We also recognise the importance of the role of the new Countryside Stewardship Scheme and the NFU is committed to continuing to work with Defra and Natural England in the development of the this scheme and how it will be implemented on the ground.”
Crop Protection Association (CPA) reaction
Nick von Westenholz, CEO of the CPA said;
“Our industry takes a close interest in the issue of pollinator health, both because of the importance of pollinators in crop production, and because of the need to ensure farmers are able to use important products such as pesticides safely alongside healthy pollinator populations.
“We welcome publication of the final National Pollinator Strategy (NPS), and in particular the balanced attitude to the different factors that potentially affect pollinator health. We also support the emphasis on an evidence-based approach, with the assurance of flexibility to take account of new evidence as it arises.
“It is pleasing to see that the strategy recognises that pesticides are subject to one of the most stringent approvals processes in the world and are but one of a range of factors, including habitat loss, disease and climate change, that have the potential to put adverse pressure on pollinators. However, it is disappointing to see that some NGOs have reacted to the publication of the strategy by calling for further bans on key agricultural chemicals, without any evidence of harm from their use.
“The crop protection industry actively supports on-going research, stewardship and education programmes aimed at protecting the health of bees and other pollinators. For example, through Operation Pollinator, Syngenta have worked with UK farmers to establish an additional 400 hectares of wildflower field margins. These margins will be viable for three to five years before replanting and provide an ideal habitat for a range of pollinators. We look forward to continuing our work with government and industry stakeholders to promote best practice in the use of pesticides to protect pollinators and other wildlife.”
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth says the National Pollinator Strategy (NPS) must be considerably improved from draft versions to address the root causes of bee decline, by providing the right policy framework, support and incentives to ensure that farmers, land owners and developers are supported to reduce pesticide use, protect and create vital bee habitats to provide the food and shelter bees need across the UK.
Friends of the Earth’s Senior Nature Campaigner Paul de Zylva said: “People around country are doing their bit making their gardens and allotments good for bees – the Government must now do its bit too to transform our farms, housing estates, parks and roadsides into habitat-rich, chemical-free spaces.
“Reversing bee decline for good depends on the Government producing an effective Bee Action Plan that tackles all the threats bees face, especially from pesticides and a lack of habitat on farms and new developments.
“Britain’s hard working bees deserve a first not third-rate Bee Action Plan - it’s time the Government delivered.”
The NPS is the Government’s response to unprecedented demand from the public, businesses, civil society organisations and MPs of all parties to reverse the decline of Britain’s bees. The plight of bees was top of people’s environmental concerns in a recent poll, ahead of climate change.
Today Friends of the Earth campaigners in Westminster will deliver a petition signed by thousands of people to Environment Secretary Liz Truss, which urges her not to delay the NPS further and ensure it contains ambitious action for bees. More than 200,000 actions have been taken to support Friends of the Earth’s Bee Cause campaign, from bee-friendly wildflower planting to calling for pesticide bans and demanding action from MPs, councils and the Government.
