§ Mr. Kirkwoodasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will investigate the possibility of making sugar available to commercial beekeepers at subsidised rates to allow them to recover losses sustained as a result of the recent adverse weather conditions.
§ Mrs. Fenner[pursuant to her reply, 19 May 1986, c. 70]: As I explained in my reply earlier today it was necessary to use the limited resources available to compensate those most seriously affected by adverse weather. Making sugar available to beekeepers at subsidised rates would not help directly to make good the recent losses of bees.
§ Mr. Kirkwoodasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will introduce a scheme to give financial relief to commercial beekeepers who lose more than 50 per cent. of their stock because of adverse weather conditions.
§ Mrs. Fenner[pursuant to her reply, 19 May 1986, c. 69]: I sympathise with those beekeepers who are amongst the many agricultural and other businesses which have suffered from the exceptionally poor weather over the last 12 months.
However, as my right hon. Friend the Minister explained in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Bury, North (Mr. Burt) on 26 February, we had to direct the limited resources available to those sectors and areas which were most seriously affected.