The European Parliament voted by 560 to 27, with 28 abstentions on Thursday 1 March to pass the report by Norbert Erdős (EPP, Hungary) on the prospects and challenges for the EU apiculture sector which proposes, firstly, action on labelling and tackling fraud and, secondly, putting measures in place to improve bee health.
The EU imports some 200,000 tonnes of honey annually, or 40% of total consumption. According to a study by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, 20% of samples of imported honey do not meet EU standards. To address the import of adulterated honey, the European Parliament argues that border veterinary inspections and internal market checks should be harmonised, testing of all imported honey and traceability requirements tightened. It calls on the European Commission, therefore, to develop effective laboratory analysis procedures. MEPs also want the member states to impose tougher penalties on offenders.
The Parliament calls on the Commission to launch a European action plan to combat bee mortality providing for: - a ban on pesticides which have been scientifically proved to have a harmful effect on bee health, in particular neonicotinoids (see EUROPE 11971), and measures to develop safe alternatives for farmers; - early warning systems on spraying periods to avoid affecting bees; - further research to develop and make more widely available innovative bee health medicines; - breeding programmes to produce bees resilient to invasive species. The European Commission is currently preparing a communication on pollinators which is due to be published in the second half of this year.
To help honey producers, MEPs propose a 50% increase in support for national beekeeping programmes, a new support system for beekeepers in the post-2020 CAP and compensation systems for the loss of bee colonies. (Original version in French)