That this House notes the immeasurable environmental role played by the honey bee in pollinating both wild flowers and many agricultural crops; further notes that there are approximately 9,000 amateur beekeepers in Britain; further notes the requirement for all beekeepers to comply with the Bee Diseases Control Order 1982 and the consequent potential destruction of both bees and equipment if a notifiable disease is confirmed; further notes that the BDI is a voluntary self-help organisation set up to compensate beekeepers for the loss of bees and equipment that may result upon notification of a specified disease, and commends the BDI for the valuable role it has played in supporting and encouraging the notification of bee diseases to DEFRA; decries the fact that, despite being a voluntary self-help organisation, the BDI is subject to the same onerous FSA requirements, in terms of both costs and red tape, as a commercial organisation; is concerned that, if the BDI is no longer able to function, notification rates for specified bee diseases will fall; and calls upon the Government to review the FSA guidelines in this area and their application to small voluntary self-help organisations such as the BDI.

That this House notes the immeasurable environmental role played by the honey bee in pollinating both wild flowers and many agricultural crops; further notes that there are approximately 9,000 amateur beekeepers in Britain; further notes the requirement for all beekeepers to comply with the Bee Diseases Control Order 1982 and...

That this House notes the immeasurable environmental role played by the honey bee in pollinating both wild flowers and many agricultural crops; notes that there are approximately 9,000 amateur beekeepers in Britain; notes the requirement for all beekeepers to comply with the Bee Diseases Control Order 1982 and the consequent potential destruction of both bees and equipment if a notifiable disease is confirmed; notes that the BDI is a voluntary self-help organisation set up to compensate beekeepers for the loss of bees and equipment that may result upon notification of a specified disease and commends the BDI for the valuable role it has played in supporting and encouraging the notification of bee diseases to DEFRA; decries the fact that, despite being a voluntary self-help organisation, the BDI is subject to the same onerous FSA requirements, in terms of both costs and red tape, as a commercial organisation; is concerned that, if the BDI is no longer able to function, notification rates for specified bee diseases will fall; and calls upon the Government to review the FSA guidelines in this area and their application to small voluntary self-help organisations such as the BDI.

That this House notes the immeasurable environmental role played by the honey bee in pollinating both wild flowers and many agricultural crops; notes that there are approximately 9,000 amateur beekeepers in Britain; notes the requirement for all beekeepers to comply with the Bee Diseases Control Order 1982 and the consequent...