RDP project database

This Leader project supported the establishment of a new cooperative of commercial honey farmers & hobbyists, developed new field trails to attract visitors & raised awareness of the importance of honey bees & pollination to the local environment.

Scottish Bee Services Ltd is a newly established cooperative, comprising commercial honey farmers & hobbyists. The cooperative was set up as part of a local response to reversing the decline of the honey bee, which is vitally important to the economy and the environment in rural Tayside, recently decimated by a virulent bacterial infection known as 'foul brood'. Rural Tayside Leader helped identify solutions to combat the disease and supported awareness raising on the honey bee as a pollinator.

The main objectives were: raising awarness on the importance of pollination, contributing to maintaining of the bee population, and protecting the biodiversity, environment and local economy (producer network).

The Coop is developing a basic health and hygiene programme and installing a sterlisation unit, the first of its kind in Scotland, for used bee equipment. The unit is avaliable to commercial operators and hobbyists throughout Tayside, at an affordable price. In addition, field trails have been developed and seasonal site visits organised to participating farms, led by a crop specialist.

The visits raise awareness amongst farmers and land managers of what mainstream crops and specific pollinator cover mixes are good for honey bees. This is complemented by a new database linking producers with growers. These initiatives will help to maintain the local bee population which is vital to biodiversity, protecting the environment and sustaining the local economy, supporting a network of producers.

The project has demonstrated through practical activities, ways in which environmental objectives can be achieved that can also have a real and lasting benefit for the local economy.

Forfar, Rural Tayside

Scotland

Scotland

209 301

74 727

108 927

25 650

https://www.ruraltaysideleader.com/home/home.aspx

Rita B. Calander

calanderrb@angus.gov.uk

+44 (0) 1307473239

English