New Challenges for Bees: The Way Forward

– Press Release –

EU decision-makers and stakeholders gathered from across Europe in Brussels for the 4^th Edition of the European Bee Week to ensure that bee health is put at the top of the agenda. The Bee Week called for collaboration among all stakeholders to work together in order to find solutions and synergies to solve the challenges that lie ahead. 

Mariya Gabriel MEP and Chair of the “Apiculture & Bee Health” working group of the EP Intergroup “Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development” hosted the conference New Challenges for Bees: The Way Forward, which took place 30 September to 1 October in the European Parliament, gathering decision-makers and stakeholders from all sectors and levels to discuss the state of play of bees as well as how to achieve collaborative models.

The opening remarks were given by Desislava Taneva, Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Bulgaria, highlighted the importance of working together in order to ensure sustainable measures that support EU beekeeping. The need for taking stock in each Member State was stressed by representatives from the European Commission as well as ensuring transparency in providing data.

The initiator of the European Bee Week, former MEP Gaston Franco, stressed the importance of the Bee Week tradition and pushed that all Member States should be represented by an MEP working as an ambassador for bees at next year’s edition. The importance of bees to the natural environment was reiterated by all participants, but it was pointed out by Luc Bas from IUCN that “bee pollination also has an economic value of 153 billion globally, and 22 billion annually in Europe”.

Dr. Dennis VanEngelsdorp, Honey Bee Lab, University of Maryland outlined the situation of honey bee colonies in the US stating that “something is happening in the system where we are seeming to lose a constant rate of bees“. Pathogens, pesticides and poor nutrition, acting alone or in synergies were pointed out as the basic causes for mortality, and the need for multiple solutions was highlighted. Vincent Dietemann from Agroscope, Swiss Bee Research Center further conveyed the challenges faced when dealing with honey bee diseases and provided the example of  “varroa mite, which is the global enemy number one” as it causes the most damage. There are treatments available for various honey bee diseases but it was highlighted that there is a need for more research  as well as translating it into application. It was underscored that the “investments in honey bee research are disproportionate to the importance of honey bee disease dissemination”. The importance of education was also stressed when introducing new treatments to beekeepers.

The spirit of the conference was the unanimous call for collaboration among all sectors and levels. The session on collaborative models provided insights into various ongoing initiatives and projects in Europe to better foster cooperation. Dr. Chris Hartfield, National Farming Union brought forward various examples from the UK where farmers have initiated “voluntary procedures to work alongside beekeepers to ensure that farming is part of the solution in restoring bee colonies”. Etienne Bruneau, CARI, representing the beekeepers, who were involved for the first time this year, pointed out that the situations vary in each Member State. The market and agricultural models differ as well as the changing climate. The importance of beehive products was stressed and it was underlined that the “beekeepers feel that the sector is being forgotten”.

The two day conference provided a multistakeholder platform for debate and exchange of views in order to address the challenges and solutions faced by various sectors. Awareness, training and education were underlined as essential. The need to establish indicators was pointed out in order to assess the appropriateness of the use of public money, honey production and mortality rates, to name a few. The discussion highlighted that all stakeholders have the interest of bees in mind, which will be key in moving forward and improving the overall health of bees.

The Bee Week was organised by Mariya Gabriel, Chair of the working group “Apiculture & Bee Health” of the EP Intergroup “Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development”, the Bees Biodiversity Network, the University of Liège Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, BeeOdiversity and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).