Source · Select Committees · Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
Second Report - Insect decline and UK food security
Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
HC 326
Published 7 March 2024
Recommendations
10
Rejected
Para 73
Expand National Bee Unit remit to focus on wild bee health and hive impact guidance.
Recommendation
Defra should expand the remit of the National Bee Unit, to include a focus on wild bee health. This should include both developing internal expertise and fostering collaboration with entomology experts and producing biennial reports, as part of the National …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects expanding the National Bee Unit's remit to include wild bee health, stating it would require significant legislative changes as the NBU's statutory role is specific to honey bee diseases. However, it notes that the NBU published a map in 2023 allowing beekeepers to assess hive density, which partially addresses the request for guidance on over-densification.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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24
Rejected
Para 144
Revise Red List and indicators to include more invertebrate species and publish a Baseline List.
Recommendation
Revised versions of Natural England’s ‘Red List’ and the ‘biodiversity indicators’ used to measure changes in abundance should include a minimum of one species per family, which would result in a significant increase in invertebrate representation. In response to this …
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Government Response Summary
Defra acknowledges the recommendation but rejects the proposal to include a minimum of one species per family in biodiversity indicators as unachievable due to data limitations, and deems a new parallel 'Baseline List' inadvisable due to unreliable data, while continuing to assess indicator improvements and review new data.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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28
Rejected
Para 174
Publish National Action Plan for Sustainable Pesticide Use no later than May 2024.
Recommendation
We echo the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee’s recommendation that the Government should publish the National Action Plan for Sustainable Pesticide Use no later than May 2024.
Government Response Summary
The government states it is working on publishing the National Action Plan but implicitly rejects the May 2024 deadline, citing the wide-ranging and complex nature of the work and extensive consultation responses as reasons for the delay, while highlighting other ongoing pest management initiatives.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
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