Department marks World Bee Day with farm visit

Marking World Bee Day, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for Land Use and Biodiversity, Senator Pippa Hackett congratulated Alan and Cheryl Poole for the work they have done on their farm outside Gorey, Co Wexford as part of the Pilot National Pollinator Monitoring Scheme.

Minister Hackett said: “The Poole family farm is the perfect place for the Department to celebrate World Bee Day 2024. The whole family are involved at the beautiful farm, and it is really bustling with life and biodiversity. The passion and energy of the children’s involvement is clear, and it shows that the Pilot National Pollinator Scheme is of huge value as a learning experience for children and adults alike, as well as having an important role in the advancement of scientific knowledge and pollinator conservation.”

Bee and pollinator populations are fundamental for the health of ecosystems and food security. In Ireland, one third of our wild bee species is threatened with extinction and bumblebee populations show a worrying year on year decline of 3.3% since 2012.

Ireland’s Pilot National Pollinator Monitoring Scheme was set up in 2021 with joint funding from the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. It is now in its third year and Alan and Cheryl Poole’s farm is one of 40 sites where surveys for bees, butterflies and hoverflies will be carried out over the summer months. The Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine also fund a Farmland Pollinator officer as part of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan to provide support, advice and engagement for the farming community.

World Bee Day 2024 focuses on the theme "Bee engaged with Youth". This theme highlights the importance of involving young people in pollinator conservation efforts, recognizing them as the future stewards of our environment.