§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce a compensation scheme for professional bee keepers whose hives have been subject to attack from the varroa mite. [44089]
§ Mr. RookerThe Government take the threat to beekeeping from varroa very seriously and this year are spending around £1.5 million on a range of measures to tackle this problem. The emphasis is on training and education to help bee keepers become more self-reliant. We consider this to be the best use of the available resources.