BEEKEEPERS in Herefordshire are joining protests over Government plans to slash the number of inspectors who help them fight diseases such as European foul brood.

They fear the funding cuts by Defra could result in many colonies in the county being wiped out.

Members of the Herefordshire association have written to local MPs and are backing the national organisation in their bid to halt plans to cut £225,000 from the £1.25 million annual budget of its Honeybee Health Programme by 2008. It would mean sacking half the 40-strong staff of bee inspectors.

Colin Pavey, chairman of the county association, said beekeepers relied on the inspectors to recognise disease in their hives.

"While we might treat the disease, it is the recognition that is particularly important," he said.

"The money saved by Defra is small compared to the £120 million a year the bee industry contributes to agricultural output."

He said Defra were introducing a new treatment technique that allowed beekeepers to deal with a disease outbreak so that money could be saved. The worry was that the disease could spread to a neighbouring apiary. Diseases also had a nasty habit of re-occurring.

Members would be very concerned if they lost Dave Sutton, an inspector based in the Bromyard area, who was also an associate member of the local association.