§ 5. Mr. AllenTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the health of bees is improved rather than impaired by modern agricultural practice.
§ 60. Mr. RookerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research his Department has commissioned on the effect on the food chain of pesticides and changes in habitat of bees.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonImprovement of bee health is primarily a matter for beekeepers themselves. However, I believe that bees will benefit from environmental and set aside measures that we are now taking.
My Department commissions research in several areas relating to pesticides, the habitat of bees and the human and broader food chains. More specifically, we are undertaking research on techniques for monitoring pesticide residues in agricultural produce, on spray drift and on the foraging behaviour of bees and the way of deterring their exposure to pesticides whch are applied to crops.