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• As much as one third of the food we eat is pollinated by bees –from apples and pears to strawberries to beans. We now estimate the value of insects pollinating our crops and plants amounts to hundreds of millions of pounds.

• That’s why we are doing everything we can to help them thrive. Not everyone can become a beekeeper, but everyone from major landowners to window-box gardeners can play their part in boosting pollinators.

Defra is setting up bee hives on the roof of their building in London and supermarkets including Waitrose and Coop have been distributing bee-friendly flower seeds to their customers.

Motorway verges, railway embankments and forests will be used to create bee and insect friendly paradises as part of the major new strategy to protect the 1500 species of pollinators in England.

Defra has also announced the first ever wild pollinator and farm wildlife package, which will see more funding made available to farmers and landowners that take steps to protect pollinators through the new Countryside Stewardship Scheme.

Environmental Campaigners comment

The National Pollinator Strategy published today is a major step towards protecting the nation’s bees, said Friends of the Earth, which led the campaign for a bee action plan. But the environment charity warned that ministers must still do more to boost greener farming practices and reduce the threat from pesticides.

Commenting on the National Pollinator Strategy, Friends of the Earth’s senior nature campaigner Paul de Zylva said:

“This bee strategy shows that people power works – it has been introduced because thousands of people, organisations and politicians across the UK have stung the government into action.

“The National Pollinator Strategy will make a significant contribution to safeguarding Britain’s bees – but ministers must still get tougher on pesticides and do more to boost bee-friendly farming as 70% of our land is farmed.

“Bees and other pollinators are vital for safeguarding our food and countryside. Everyone has a role to play – we cannot afford to jeopardise their future.”


More information about how everyone can help pollinators is on the Bees’ Needs website.