MP Sheryll Murray has called for more support for native Cornish bees.

Mrs Murray met with beekeepers near Callington to listen to their concerns about the amount of funding available for research into ensuring the success of the Black Bee – a species native to the South West. 

The B4 project (Bringing Back Black Bees) say that native bees are worthy of saving because they are much more suited to the variations in climate here than imported or hybridised bees, and have greater tolerance to disease.

After visiting Newton Farm, Mrs Murray said: 'It was an incredibly interesting visit and I would like to thank all the beekeepers for taking the time to explain, in detail, the importance of their project. 

'It is visits like this that I find so useful when I sit on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee. I find I can use this knowledge to get the points across which affect local producers. These bees are really worthy of saving because they are more suited to the environment of the South West peninsula.'