GWENT AM DRAWS ASSEMBLY ATTENTION TO DECLINING BEE POPULATION
A media release from William Graham AM on 5th March
William Graham AM today urged the Rural Affairs Minister to take action on the alarming drop in the population of honey bees in Wales.
The Conservative AM for South Wales East explained;
‘Although the famous quote from Albert Einstein that ‘If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years of life left’ is probably apocryphal, the effects of the alarming decline in the population of the honeybees both in the United Kingdom and globally stretch far beyond the concern of beekeepers.
‘Seventy per cent of crops and most garden plants and flora in the British Isles depend on the honeybee for pollination, demonstrating the great value of bees to Wales’ farmers and to the wider general population. The value of pollination by the honeybee in food production in the UK has been estimated at £166 million although clearly their contribution to Wales’ unique biodiversity is immeasurable.’
‘In view of the great damage done to feral and kept honeybees by the varroa mite and colony collapse disorder I welcome DEFRA and the Assembly Government’s forthcoming ‘Strategy on Protecting and Improving the Health of Honey Bees in England and Wales’ and today implored the Welsh Assembly Government to take a lead on considering the measures they can take to assist those people trying to improve the health of hives in Wales.’
‘I acknowledge the exceptional work done by non-commercial beekeepers in Wales and encourage more apiarists throughout Gwent to join associations and the national bee database so that they can gain access to information that might improve their hives’ biosecurity.’
William Graham JP, AM
CHIEF WHIP, PARTY CHAIRMAN AND EUROPEAN SPOKESMAN
Email – William.Graham@Wales.gov.uk