Honey bee health focus

The latest intiative to help honey bees across the country has been announced.

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Richard Lochhead launched a new strategy at the Royal Highland Show to protect and improve the health of the insects, who are so vital to the pollination of the fruit and vegetables.

A bid for funding for a Bee Health Initiative under the Rural Tayside Leader Programme has been successful.

Over the next three years, £50,000 has been committed to support BeeBase. A national database that provides beekeepers with information on the activities of the National Bee Unit, legislation, pests and disease recognition and control, interactive maps, current research areas and keys contacts.

“Industry in Scotland”

The Scottish Government has also contributed £500,000 towards a UK wide £10 million research programme into pollinators. The nine successful projects announced include £1.8 million for a project based at Dundee University, looking at the impact of pesticides.

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Richard Lochhead said: “Honey bees are an essential part of agriculture in Scotland. They play an extremely important role in pollinating crops and plants such as the £68 million soft fruit industry.

“We are committed to supporting the beekeeping community to ensure that Scotland has a sustainable and healthy population of honey bees over the next ten years.

“The strategy is being backed-up by a number of other measures, such as an increase in the number of bee inspectors, the establishment of a database for Scottish beekeepers and investment in research programmes.

“We will continue to work closely with bee keepers to help secure a profitable future for the industry in Scotland.”

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