Committees

Insect decline and UK food security

Inquiry

Insect numbers are difficult to quantify however recent research suggests that in the UK flying insects have declined by 60% in the past 20 years. Insects provide pivotal roles for UK food security including pollination and pest or weed regulation. There are also concerns that pest species may be increasing with negative impacts on crop yields.

The Committee aims to build understanding of the role of insects in the UK food system and the economic impact of their decline and the associated risk to UK food security. It seeks to examine the evidence base for insect abundance in the UK, current drivers of insect loss and the Government’s interventions to halt or reverse declines.

This inquiry is no longer accepting evidence

The deadline for submissions was Friday 28 April 2023.

Upcoming events

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No upcoming events scheduled

Past events

Wednesday 29 November 2023
9:20am Private
9:30am Public
Insect decline and UK food security - Oral evidence 29 November 2023
9:30am
  • John Holmes (Director of Strategy at Natural England)
10:15am
  • Rebecca Pow (Parliamentary Under-Secretary at Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs)
  • Dr Rachel Irving (Deputy Director for Chemicals, Pesticides and Hazardous Waste at Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs)
Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Wednesday 18 October 2023
9:20am Private
9:30am Public
Insect decline and UK food security - Oral evidence 18 October 2023
9:30am
  • Professor Linda Field (Professor Emirita at Rothamsted Research)
  • Professor Toby Bruce (Professor of Insect Chemical Ecology at Keele University)
10:15am
  • Vicki Hird (Former Head of Sustainable Farming at Sustain)
  • Henry Edmunds (Estate Owner at Cholderton Estate)
11:15am
  • Minette Batters (President at National Farmers Union)
Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Wednesday 12 July 2023
9:20am Private
9:30am Public
Insect decline and UK food security - Oral evidence 12 July 2023
9:30am
  • Professor Lynn Dicks (Lead of the Agroecology Research Group at University of Cambridge)
  • Craig Bennett (Chief Executive Officer at The Wildlife Trusts)
10:15am
  • Professor Alistair Griffiths (Director of Science and Collections at Royal Horticultural Society)
  • Matt Shardlow (Chief Executive Officer at Buglife)
11:00am
  • Chris Packham CBE
Room 3
Wednesday 7 June 2023
9:30am Public
Insect decline and UK food security - Oral evidence 7 June 2023
9:30am
  • Dr Erica McAlister (Senior Curator of Diptera at Natural History Museum)
  • Professor Phil Stevenson (Head of Trait Diversity and Function at Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew)
10:15am
  • Professor Dave Goulson (Professor of Biology at University of Sussex)
  • Professor Simon Potts (Director at Centre for Agri-environmental Research, University of Reading)
11:00am
  • Professor William Kunin (Professor of Ecology at University of Leeds)
  • Dr James Bell (Head at Rothamsted Insect Survey, Rothamsted Research)
  • Dr Claire Carvell (Senior Ecologist at UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology)
Room 5, Palace of Westminster

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  • Email: commonssitc@parliament.uk
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  • Address: Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA