In 1912, Rupert Brooke asked in his poem The Old Vicarage, Granchester, "Stands the Church clock at ten to three? And is there honey still for tea?" The answer these days is, "Perhaps not”.
Vince Cable, MP for Twickenham and Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, met with Rowse Honey this week to hear firsthand how the company is at the forefront of tackling the honey bee crisis in the UK.
As an avid campaigner for the honey bee, Vince Cable discussed with Rowse Managing Director, David Bondi, why honey bee numbers in the UK have fallen drastically, and shared thoughts on the recent £10 million contribution made by research funders towards pollinator studies.
Rowse Honey, the largest of British honey brands, is part of a cross-industry group, including the British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA), the Bee Farmers Association (BFA) and the National Farmers' Union (NFU), that has been lobbying the Government to increase spending on bee health research, to try to find the causes behind the loss of one in three bee colonies. The company is so concerned by the crisis that, since last year, it has pledged to donate money to honey bee research.
The UK's honey bee population has declined catastrophically since 2008, contributing to a shortage of honey and putting at risk the pollination of fruits and vegetables.
A survey last year by the BBKA revealed that nearly one in three of the UK's 240,000 honey bee hives did not survive through the winter of 2007 and spring 2008. At that time the BBKA president, Tim Lovett, predicted: "Average winter bee losses due to poor weather and disease vary between five and 10 percent, so a 30 percent loss is deeply worrying; this spells serious trouble for pollination services and honey producers."
The UK's honey bee hives - run by 44,000 mostly amateur beekeepers - contribute around £165 million a year to the economy by pollinating many fruits and vegetables. "Thirty percent fewer honey bee colonies could therefore cost the economy some £50 million and put at risk the Government's crusade for the public to eat five portions of fresh fruit and vegetables a day," Lovett warned.
On 21 January 2009, Defra announced a £4.3 million increase in bee health funding. Of this, £2.3 million would be spent supporting the National Bee Unit over the next two years. In addition, Defra will increase bee health research funding by £400,000 per annum for the next five years. However, concerns had been raised that there was no clear indication of timings or research focus, and there was an apprehension that money might be lost in administration costs.
Vince Cable commented: "The decline of the honey bee has been an issue I have followed closely for many years. I am pleased that the Government and research funders have finally recognised the importance of the situation; however, it is vital we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. We must ensure that research focuses on the key priorities and that the large majority of funds are spent on honey bees. I am pleased to support Rowse Honey and its ongoing campaign with the Government and public to help save our honey bee.”
David Bondi, Managing Director of Rowse Honey, added: "We are delighted to meet with Vince Cable and to receive his support in the vital matter of saving the honey bee. Rowse had been actively involved in raising awareness of the crisis and will continue to campaign throughout 2009 to ensure funding for research is channelled aptly, as well as launching initiatives that will allow the public to get involved".
Maybe Winne-the-Pooh was right to store his hunny for a rainy day?
David Flood, Deeside CH5 2DJ around 2 years, 1 month ago