BEE DISEASES INSURANCE LTD

Motion Text

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.