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Bee health
- 23 April 2009 - News story: Keeping our bees buzzing
- 21 April 2009 - £10 million initiative launched to tackle bee and pollinator decline
- April 2009 - Farming link: Honeybees in crisis
The responsibility for the development and delivery of the policy in these areas has been delegated to The Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera).
Programme aims
Our bee health programme is designed to control the spread of notifiable diseases and pests of honey bees and to identify and manage the risk associated with new pests and diseases that may be introduced into the UK.
Our programme helps to maintain a healthy population of kept honey bees for the pollination of agricultural and horticultural crops and wild plants, and the production of honey and wax.
- Healthy bees: Protecting and improving the health of honey bees in England and Wales (PDF 110 KB)
Research and development
We fund research and development to support bee health work so that it benefits beekeepers, farmers, and growers who use bees for pollination.
All Defra research must be commissioned under a ROAME statement which provides a clear statement of the rationale and objectives of the research programme.
- Bee Health - Evidence and Innovation Strategy (PDF 30 KB)
- ROAME statement (PDF 70 KB)
- Defra’s response to the BBKA Honey Bee Health Research Concepts (PDF 130 KB)
Beebase
The National Bee Unit (NBU) at Fera manages a database of beekeepers in England and Wales called Beebase. It provides information on legislation, pests and diseases, current research areas, publications, advisory leaflets and key contacts.
Page last modified: 26 October 2009