MEPs back plans to combat decreasing bee numbers

MEPs have backed plans to try to combat the dwindling bee population in Europe.

The European parliament's agriculture and rural development committee voted through a resolution on the issue on Thursday.

Bee pollination accounts for 76 per cent of food production and 84 per cent of plant species. This could have serious consequences, with an increase in bee mortality and a decrease of beekeepers in Europe.

British Conservative MEP Julie Girling, who is running a campaign to save the bee, described the resolution as a step in the right direction.

She said, "Nature's number one pollinating machine appears to be breaking down and no one can be certain why.

"As part of my Save the Bee campaign, I will continue to fight for a comprehensive bee health strategy that involves everyone from national governments to the European institutions."

The committee is also calling on the commission to increase aid to the beekeeping sector in the common agricultural policy (CAP) after 2013.

This could be secured by increasing financial support and investment in research, it says.