Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what events he attended to commemorate World Bee Day on 20 May 2019.

World Bee Day’s objective is to raise public awareness of the role of beekeeping, bees and other pollinators in increasing food security and fighting hunger as well as providing key ecosystem services for agriculture.

Lord Gardiner, the Minister with responsibility for policy on bee health and pollinators, attended an event on 16 May at Winfield House, hosted by the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, to mark World Bee Day. The event was also attended by many of our partners on the National Pollinator Strategy and the Healthy Bees Plan. Lord Gardiner was invited to provide a short address in which he emphasised the importance of supporting healthy wild and managed bee populations.

Lord Gardiner also recently attended the RHS Chelsea Flower Show to support Sarah Eberle’s Gold Medal winning ‘Resilience Garden’ and its promotion of the importance of biosecurity in protecting our native species, including bees and other pollinators, from pests and disease.

Furthermore, at the Suffolk Show this May, Lord Gardiner celebrated the contribution local farmers are making to create vital habitats for bees and pollinators which, in turn, benefits the region’s crop production.

As part of the National Pollinator Strategy, Defra established and coordinates ‘Bees’ Needs Week’ alongside conservation groups, beekeepers, farmers, researchers and businesses to promote and raise awareness of the actions everyone can take for bees and other pollinators all year round. This year’s campaign runs from 8-14 July.