Written question asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Rooker (Labour) on Wednesday, 16 May 2007.

Bees

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have assessed the possible causes of colony collapse disorder (CCD) among honey bees; whether they have estimated the economic and environmental cost of CCD occurring inthe United Kingdom; what research they are undertaking to improve their understanding of CCD; and what contingencies they have in place to reduce the possible impact of a collapse in the bee population.

Answer: Colony collapse disorder (CCD)is a generic name given to a number of majorcolony losses reported by no more than around60 commercial bee farmers spread across 25 states in the USA. Currently, the UK is not suffering from similar bee health-related problems on the same scale. Nevertheless, the National Bee Unit (NBU) at Defra's central science laboratory is maintaining close contact with researchers from the USA who are investigating possible causes. Although it is not possible to develop contingency plans for unknown threats, the NBU's activities are devoted to identifying new threats and mitigating the impact of known pests and diseases. A 2001 economic evaluation of Defra's bee health programme estimated the value of honey bees to commercial pollination at approximately £120 million, although changes in crop areas and values suggest that the value may now be lower. No valuation of the role of honey bees in relation to the pollination of wild plants is available.

Secondary information