Government response: National pollinator strategy
14 October 2014
The Government will "take into consideration" the list of factors that the Committee recommend should be addressed in the final national pollinator strategy (which the Government has yet to publish).
- Government response: National Pollinator Strategy
- Government response: National Pollinator Strategy (PDF 87.15 KB)
- Report: National Pollinator Strategy
- Report: National Pollinator Strategy (PDF 316.85 KB)
- Inquiry: Defra's National Pollinator Strategy
- Environmental Audit Committee
The Government Response to the Committee’s National Pollinator Strategy report accepts the Committee’s call for the NPS to set a baseline for monitoring the plight of pollinators, the need for clarity about Integrated Pest Management and the importance of public engagement.
The Government considers, however, that the precautionary principle can take account of economic or cost considerations (as well as purely environmental factors); disagreeing with the Committee's conclusions about the rationale for a ban on neonicotinoid pesticides which harm pollinators. On the criticisms from the Committee about relying on research being done by pesticides manufacturers themselves, the Government emphasises the need to follow EU rules on the research done for regulatory purposes and notes that it has emphasised the benefits of research transparency to the firms. It rejects the case for targets for reducing use of pesticides, and the Committee's call for a decision now not to challenge the EU neonicotinoid ban when it is reviewed in 2015.
On Thursday 16 October the Chair of the Committee hopes to speak in a debate on the National Pollinator Strategy in the House of Commons chamber.
highlighting the findings from:
- Report: Pollinators and Pesticides (PDF 2.79 MB)
- Government Response: Pollinators and Pesticides (PDF1.32 MB)
- National Pollinator Strategy