what The Co-operative is doing for bees
As a leader on the environment and one of the UK’s largest farmers, The Co-operative could not be expected to ignore the recent decline in the UK’s bee populations.
So we’ve launched Plan Bee, a new campaign and 10-point plan to help reverse the worrying decline in the British bee population. Read our 10-point plan about what we are doing, and click on the links below.
The Co-operative has committed £150,000 for research into bee declines. You can read about the project to map native black bees, and a pilot project to train allotment holders in the rudiments of beekeeping. Read a blog about the training
The Co-operative is also supporting the film Vanishing of the Bees, which will premiere on 1 October and its UK cinema release is 9 October.
Plan Bee supporters can also read our press and resources page, with details of major campaign annuncements and press coverage. Or you could visit our interactive Plan Bee zone which literally has everyone buzzing. This is a child friendly, engaging and educational exhibit, which includes the chance to see what the inside of a bee hive looks and feels like.
Since the launch of the campaign, The Co-operative has commissioned the making of two short films. You can watch one about Plan Bee below.
Watch the short film about bees in the UK.
Video transcript – Plan Bee: what The Co-operative is doing for bees
Through Plan Bee:
1. The Co-operative Food has temporarily prohibited the use of neonicotinoid-based pesticides on own-brand fresh produce. These are Acetamiprid, Clothianidin, Dinotefuran, Fipronil, Imidacloprid, Nitenpyram, Thiacloprid and Thiamethoxam.
2. £150,000 has been made available to support research into the demise of the honeybee, with a particular focus on UK farming, pesticides and gene-diversity - the largest ever private contribution to bee research in the UK. This includes research into native British Black Bees, which may be better suited to the British climate. Find out about research being funded through The Co-operative's Plan Bee.
3. Over three years The Co-operative Farms is trialling a new wildflower seed mix that will be planted alongside crops on our farms across the UK. The Co-operative Farms is one of the UK's largest farmers with more than 25,000 hectares of land under management.
4. The Co-operative Farms is inviting beekeepers to establish hives on all Co-operative Farms in the UK. To date, over 500 hives have been established on seven Co-operative Farms.
5. The Co-operative is engaging our three-million members in a campaign to protect and nurture the bee population in the UK, with advice and tips featuring on our website.
6. Members were invited to attend 40 nationwide previews of Vanishing of the Bees in February 2009. In addition, The Co-operative has also produced two bespoke documentaries on the decline of the bee population in the UK.
7. The Co-operative has partnered with RSPB’s 'Homes for Wildlife' team and empower members to garden in ways that are honeybee-friendly.
8. Over 300,000 packets of wildflower seed mix have been made available to Co-operative members and the public free of charge.
9. Bee boxes are being sourced and made available to The Co-operative members at discounted prices. To date 700 bee boxes have been purchased as a result of Plan Bee. Find out how to get hold of a discounted bee box.
10. The Co-operative is supporting our members and colleagues to find out more about amateur beekeeping and encouraging links between local beekeepers and members. A pilot project is currently underway in Manchester to train new beekeepers and provide them with hives. By summer 2010, this project will lead to new beekeepers looking after another 3 million bees.
Find out how you can get involved with Plan Bee.