THE government has today pledged to provide an extra £4.3 million for bee research in a bid to safeguard Britain’s bee colonies.

The news has been welcomed by shadow secretary of state for DEFRA and MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, Tim Farron.

DEFRA has promised £2.3 million over the next two years to support the work of the National Bee Unit in addition to an extra £2million for bee health research over the next five years.

The National Bee Unit aim to help England's beekeepers deal with the problems facing their bee colonies such as the 30 per cent reduction in the population of domestic honey bees since 2007.

Mr Farron said he was “delighted” that the Government had taken steps to safeguard the future of the British bee population.

“This move by DEFRA is definitely a step in the right in direction in the fight to ensure the survival of the Western honey bee,” he said.

However he expressed concern over distribution of the funding.

“The £2million that DEFRA have allocated specifically for bee health research still only equates to an extra £400,000 per year, which falls short of the £1.6million a year that the British Beekeepers Association believes is needed to help stem the massive decline in the British bee population.

“Instead of spreading the money across a five year period, DEFRA should be front loading this investment to provide an immediate shot in the arm for bee health research."

The Western honey bee pollinates 70 per cent of the food that we eat and contributes over £165 million per year to agricultural output.