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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many inspectors are employed by her Department to monitor the health of bee colonies across the UK.

The National Bee Unit (NBU), part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), currently employs 1 National Bee Inspector, 7 Regional Bee Inspectors and 45 part-time, seasonal Bee Inspectors to monitor honey bee health in England. All Seasonal Bee Inspectors are employed throughout the beekeeping season (April to September) to look for bee pests and diseases and provide training to beekeepers on good husbandry practices. The NBU’s inspectorate carries out a total of over 5,000 apiary inspections each year.

Bee Health is a devolved matter. However, there are currently 10 bee inspectors who are contracted by APHA to carry out bee inspections and training in Wales. They are funded by the Welsh Government.