Huw Merriman MP spoke today at the Public Policy Exchange event on 'Tackling the Decline of Pollinating Insects in the UK' held in Central London. You can read the speech that he delivered below: 

 

I know it is the tendency of Politicians to deliver a whole set of statistics or a raft of Government policies but the wonders of the internet allow you to digest this at your leisure. Instead, I thought it would be more illuminating to give you a flavour of how we are using Parliament to campaign for pollinator protection in the UK.

This may come as a surprise but, up to a few months ago, MPs were receiving more correspondence on the decline of bees and pollinators than on any other subject. More, even, than that received around Syrian refugees and the UK’s decision to use military force over that country.

I believe that Bees have been relegated to No 2 in the charts by the forces of Brexit but it demonstrates the concern which the public have over the decline of pollinating inspects in the UK.

On my arrival to Parliament I was confronted by a variety of All Party Parliamentary Groups which an MP is able, or expected, to join. Think of the most bizarre subject, or exotic destination, and there is likely to be an APPG set up to champion support and campaign in Parliament. It is truly akin to returning to Freshers week.

Strangely, there was no APPG for Bees. Being a beekeeper myself, I had expected such a group.

Having decided that, for many, the signing up to an APPG required no more than a signature and rather overstated the true level of effort which an MP was putting in to the matter, I decided that I would not sign up to any APPGs but would actively work for campaigns which mattered to me (this subject being one such example).

However, I continued to receive correspondence on bees and pollinators and this tended to be dominated by the debate on neonicotinoids. [Two minutes in and I have uttered the word already]!

I’m not looking to open up a discussion on Neonics but it did demonstrate to me that there is, in Parliament, a lack of balance which dominates campaigning and lobbying by, and of, MPs.

MPs, of all professions, should be aware that there are two sides to every argument but I found that we were hearing why Neonics should be banned but there did not appear to be any discussion as to science which tended to a different conclusion or, as is more often the case, stated that, as yet, we have not yet found an accurate field-based environment to truly measure the impact.

My hobby as a beekeeper being known to many, I found that MPs were asking me what Neonics were and the conversation would often lead on to bees and the wonder of their ecology.

I had also become aware that there was once an APPG for Bees but the perils of election defeat, retirement and promotion to Government had, like many a beehive, caused a swarm and there was no one left to keep the group running.

So, in December 2015 the APPG for Bees (and other Pollinators) was duly reconstituted and I became its Chairman. We have members from across the House of Commons and Lords (albeit we need a recruitment drive on the latter). Our secretariat is provided by the British Beekeepers Association and we work closely with the Bee Farmers Association and other interested bodies.

We produced a calendar of events in March and, thus far, we have organised:

• A debate on Neonicotinoids between Friends of the Earth and the NFU: to give Parliamentarians the chance to hear both sides of the argument and for interested parties to have their say
• A trip to Kew Gardens: to give Parliamentarians the opportunity to hear from academics and conservationists from the Royal Botanic Gardens and to marvel at the wonderful Hive exhibition
• A visit to an innovative honey farmer in Northants
• A Honey Fair which, in conjunction with the BFA and BBKA, provided an opportunity for Parliamentarians to taste, and buy, honey based produce such as mead, cosmetics and, of course, the amber nectar itself. We had 75 MPs visit our fair and it was opened by the new Secretary of State for Defra. It was particularly pleasing to have all of our friends from the BBKA, BFA, NFU, Friends of the Earth, Kew, Buglife, Bumblebee Trust and other groups. The APPG is helping to bring these groups together and I hope we can campaign for the importance of our pollinators, even if some may differ as to causes of decline.

So what of the future for our APPG and for Pollinators?

Our plan, via the APPG, is to host a colony of bees on the Parliamentary Estate. This was requested by the previous APPG but they got it all wrong. With Parliament, if you ask to do anything different you have to be armed with the answers. When the authorities asked how the APPG knew that the estate could sustain a colony, no evidence was provided in support. The request was duly turned down.

I have asked my friends at the Royal Botanical Society if they will help us map out the ecology in the 2 miles around the estate so we are well prepared.

I then want to get MPs to don a bee suit for longer than it takes a camera to take a photo and actually learn, and be inspired, by what goes on inside a hive such that they volunteer.

With more MPs having a passion, and better knowledge, I hope that we can keep the pressure on the Government to promote policies, and technology, which will help our pollinators to recover in numbers.

With the introduction of the Government’s National Pollinator Strategy, there is now a vehicle for the cause. Pollination services are critical for both ecosystem function and crop production and are estimated to be worth up to £600m per year to UK agriculture. There is much we need to do to protect against the impact of:

Pests and Pathogens;

Habitat Loss and Landscape Alteration;

Pesticides;

Climate Change;

Alien Species.

I hope that our campaigning group of Parliamentarians will help with this cause and that it will provide you with an outlet to also have your voice, and concerns, heard.