Healthy Bees Plan Review
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Healthy Bees Plan Review November 2020 © Crown copyright 2020 This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ This publication is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at Bee Health Policy, Defra, Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ PB14608 www.gov.uk/defra Contents Executive summary ................................................................................................................... 1 Glossary ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction – The Healthy Bees Plan, 2009 ........................................................................... 3 Purpose of the review................................................................................................................ 4 Scope of the review ................................................................................................................... 4 Method ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Strengths and limitations ........................................................................................................... 5 Summary of conclusions ........................................................................................................... 6 Recommendations..................................................................................................................... 8 Next steps .................................................................................................................................. 9 Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................... 10 The review................................................................................................................................ 11 Outcome 1 – Impacts from pests, diseases and other hazards are kept to the lowest levels achievable.................................................................................................................. 12 1.1 – Disease Assurance Scheme for Honeybees (DASH) .......................................... 13 1.2 – Key findings from an assessment of National Bee Unit inspections.................... 27 Outcome 2 – Good standards of beekeeping and husbandry minimise pests and disease risks and contribute to sustaining healthy bee populations ............................................... 30 2.1 – Husbandry survey ................................................................................................... 31 2.2 – Availability of veterinary medicines........................................................................ 33 Outcome 3 – Effective biosecurity minimises the risks from pests, diseases and undesirable species ............................................................................................................. 37 3.1 – Contingency response – Asian hornet .................................................................. 38 Outcome 4 – Sound science and evidence base underpin bee health policy and its implementation..................................................................................................................... 47 4.1 – Review of Defra funded bee health R&D projects carried out during the lifetime of the Healthy Bees Plan (2009-2019)............................................................................ 48 Outcome 5 – Effective communications and relationships operating at all levels ........... 60 5.1 – Strengthened partnerships ..................................................................................... 61 5.2 – Increased delivery of education, including apprenticeships ................................. 68 5.3 – Beekeeping and bee farming during the Healthy Bees Plan ............................... 86 5.4 – Education and advisory material provided by the National Bee Unit................... 97 Appendix 1: ............................................................................................................................ 108 Timeline and governance of the Healthy Bees Plan........................................................ 108 Timeline of key events during the Healthy Bees Plan ................................................. 108 Governance .................................................................................................................... 110 Changes to Defra, the National Bee Unit and Fera Science Ltd during the Healthy Bees Plan ....................................................................................................................... 111 Appendix 2: ............................................................................................................................ 113 Summary of the bee health husbandry survey 2009-2018 – tables and figures............ 113 Executive summary Healthy Bees, or ‘the Healthy Bees Plan’ as it became known, was published with one overall aim: To achieve a sustainable and healthy population of honey bees for pollination and honey production in England and Wales via strengthened partnership working between government and other stakeholders. The government and members of the beekeeping community sought to meet this aim by achieving five targeted outcomes, namely: to bring about low levels of pests and diseases; to promote good standards of husbandry; to encourage effective biosecurity; to ensure sound science supports bee health policy and its implementation; and to work together to protect bee health. The following chapters provide important insights into how contributors to the Healthy Bees Plan met these challenges. The Healthy Bees Plan sought to give direction and focus to the government and beekeepers as custodians of honey bee health and in doing so lay the foundations for a collaborative approach. The importance of partnership working emerges clearly in each section. Working together featured extensively in both the creation of the Healthy Bees Plan and its implementation. Several active members of the Bee Health Advisory Forum have contributed to the writing of this report. It is desirable that this collaboration should continue. The review of the Healthy Bees Plan also highlights the importance of this collaborative approach to combating the bee pests and diseases that threaten our honey bees. The Asian hornet continues to be a significant threat, but through our contingency planning and communications, outbreaks have been identified and eradicated. Contingency plans for other exotic pests have also been written and exercised. It is a priority for our future programme of work that this continues, and capability is maintained as we respond to honey bee pests and diseases. Under the plan education and training provision for beekeepers has increased substantially, improving husbandry standards across England and Wales, and many thousands more beekeepers have chosen to register on the National Bee Unit's BeeBase website. With these important findings, this review draws to a close the first Healthy Bees Plan. The honey bee is an important pollinator of our plant and crop species and part of our native fauna. Future strategies to protect and advance the wellbeing of our honey bees will benefit from the findings in this review and the work of the Healthy Bees Plan. 1 Glossary AFB American Foulbrood APHA Animal and Plant Health Agency BBKA British Beekeepers Association BBSRC Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) BBVA British Bee Veterinary Association BFA Bee Farmers’ Association BHAF Bee Health Advisory Forum CEH Centre for Ecology and Hydrology DASH Disease Assurance Scheme for Honeybees Defra Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs EFB European Foulbrood Fera Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA Science Ltd from 2016) GH General Husbandry HBP Healthy Bees Plan HEG Husbandry and Education Group IPI Insect Pollinator Initiative NAO National Audit Office NBU National Bee Unit NDB National Diploma in Beekeeping NERC Natural Environment Research Council NFU National Farmers’ Union NNSS Non-native Species Secretariat NPS National Pollinator Strategy PRA Pest Risk Assessment RBI Regional Bee Inspector SBI Seasonal Bee Inspector SEAG Science and Evidence Advisory Group SHB Small Hive Beetle VMD Veterinary Medicines Directorate WBKA Welsh Beekeepers’ Association WG Welsh Government 2 Introduction – The Healthy Bees Plan, 2009 In 2009, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Welsh Government consulted on a proposed strategy to support beekeepers in the management of honey bee pests and diseases. Clear messages emerged. These included the need for continued surveillance and education programmes for honey bee health, an expanded R&D programme, and clarification of the roles and responsibilities of both the government and beekeeping associations. These messages were reinforced by findings of the National Audit Office (NAO) in their report ‘the health of livestock and honeybees in England’ (2009). Limited collaboration was seen to exist between Defra and national beekeeping associations. The NAO endorsed greater expenditure by the government on its bee health programme, particularly towards increasing the registration of beekeepers and broadening the research funding base.