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Honey bee health focus
25/06/2010
Scotland's honey bees had the Royal Highland Show buzzing today when Richard Lochhead announced the latest in a series of initiatives to ensure their protection.
The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs launched a new strategy to protect and improve the health of the insects so vital to pollinating much of the fruit and vegetables that we eat. Mr Lochhead also outlined support for a number of initiatives that will help deliver the strategy.
A bid for funding for a Bee Health Initiative under the Rural Tayside Leader Programme has been successful. The £183,000 will be used by Scottish Bee Services to create a frame sterilisation plant in Perthshire where 60% of Scotland's honey is produced. The grant will also support a Tayside Pollination Awareness Initiative that aims to improve knowledge of pollen and nectar crops.
Over the next three years, £50,000 has been committed to support BeeBase. A national database that provides beekeepers with information on the activities of the National Bee Unit, legislation, pests and disease recognition and control, interactive maps, current research areas and keys contacts.
The Scottish Government has also contributed £500,000 towards a UK wide £10 million research programme into pollinators. The nine successful projects were announced on Monday and include £1.8 million for a project based at Dundee University, looking at the impact of pesticides.
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs Richard Lochhead said:
"Honey bees are an essential part of agriculture in Scotland. They play an extremely important role in pollinating crops and plants such as the £68 million soft fruit industry.
"We are committed to supporting the beekeeping community to ensure that Scotland has a sustainable and healthy population of honey bees over the next ten years.
"The strategy is being backed-up by a number of other measures, such as an increase in the number of bee inspectors, the establishment of a database for Scottish beekeepers and investment in research programmes.
"We will continue to work closely with bee keepers to help secure a profitable future for the industry in Scotland."