§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make available a grant of £600 per annum to enable beekeepers to take basic beekeeping exams. [134640]
§ Ms QuinThe Ministry funds a range of measures costing around £1.3 million annually to assist the beekeeping sector to deal with bee health issues. The emphasis is on providing cost-free regional and national training in good husbandry and disease recognition and control for all beekeepers. In each of the last two years, the National Bee Unit has organised over 700 such events working closely with beekeeping associations. We consider this to be the best use of available resources.
§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many outbreaks of foul brood and European foul brood have been identified in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [134639]
§ Ms QuinAmerican and European foul brood are notifiable diseases under the Bee Disease Control Order 1982. All new suspected cases have to be reported, and in England and Wales investigations are carried out by the National Bee Unit. The number of colonies confirmed infected with either of these diseases since 1997 is as follows:
1998 1999 20001 American foul brood 229 148 103 European foul brood 879 865 1,039 Total 1,108 1,013 1,142 1Figures for 2000 are provisional
§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set up a field trial to eliminate bee colonies with European foul brood; and what steps he is taking to ensure colonies with European foul brood are destroyed. [134636]
§ Ms QuinThe Ministry is already undertaking a range of measures to combat this notifiable disease. All colonies too heavily infected with European foul brood to respond to treatment are destroyed. Lightly infected colonies are treated with antibiotic by field inspectors employed by the National Bee Unit, part of the Central Science Laboratory. The Unit is conducting well publicised trials for the380W long-term control of the disease without the need for destruction of the bees in these valuable colonies. Preliminary results are promising.
§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many(a) full-time and (b) part-time bee inspectors are employed by his Department. [134637]
§ Ms QuinThis year, the National Bee Unit employed(a) eight full-time Regional Bee Inspectors and (b) 37 Seasonal Bee Inspectors to provide statutory inspection and advisory services for beekeepers in England and Wales.
§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will reintroduce(a) a regular checking of beehives in order to discover and eliminate disease; and for what reasons such checking has been discontinued. [134638]
§ Ms QuinInspection and treatment of bees for the notifiable diseases American foul brood, European foul brood and varroa are mandatory under the provisions of the Bees Act 1980 and the Bee Disease Control Order 1982. The National Bee Unit organises regular annual checks of bee colonies throughout England and Wales for these diseases, particularly in high risk areas. Approximately 26,000–27,000 colonies in 4,500 apiaries are inspected each year. In addition to this service, the National Bee Unit provides training and education to help beekeepers become more self-reliant in the identification of bee diseases through improved bee husbandry.