Pollination by honeybees ‘delivered €85m in services to agriculture’

POLLINATION by honeybees has been estimated to deliver €85 million of services to Irish agriculture, especially in horticulture but also in clover, which affects dairy and meat production.

This was revealed in the Dáil by Minister of State Trevor Sargent, who reported that FIBKA, the representative body for more than 1,700 beekeepers nationally, reports no significant evidence of colony collapse disorder in Ireland. However, the disorder has been responsible for the loss of large numbers of colonies in America since late 2003. Similar large-scale losses also began to be reported in continental Europe.

“I have read research indicating if the current rates of loss in the USA is not turned around, there will be no honeybees there by 2035, which would be devastating not just for American but world agriculture,” he said