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Published 26/06/2013
Compassion has signed up to support the Bee Cause, a campaign led by Friends of the Earth to save Britain's honey and wild bees.
The campaign calls for a National Bee Action Plan, something which is needed urgently. Bee numbers have fallen dramatically in recent years, which is alarming as they are vital to our farmers, food security and economy.
The campaign warns that without bees food prices would rise and the quality of produce would fall. Many of the plants and wildlife in our parks, gardens and countryside depend on them too.
In a recent report commissioned by Friends of the Earth, intensive farming was identified as a key factor in the decline of Britain's bees.
Practices associated with intensive farming like the cultivation of monocultures to produce the huge amount of grain needed to feed factory-farmed animals, the use of neonicotinoid pesticides and the destruction of hedgerows and wildflower meadows, have all been linked to the worrying decline in our bee numbers.
From December 2013, the use of three major neonicotinoids on crops that are attractive to bees and other pollinators will be banned in the EU. Although only 15 of the 27 member states voted in favour of the ban (some say the science behind the proposal is inconclusive), a two-year precautionary restriction will be put in place.
It is a good start, but much more needs to be done.
