To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the contribution of pollination activity by bees to British agriculture since 2000. (142276)

A 2001 Economic Evaluation of DEFRA's bee health programme estimated the value of honey bees to commercial pollination at approximately £120 million, although changes in crop areas and values suggest that the value may now be lower. No valuation of the role of honey bees in relation to the pollination of wild plants is available.