Activities of Marijana PETIR related to 2017/2115(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Prospects and challenges for the EU apiculture sector (debate) HR
Amendments (44)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
- having regard to the European week of bees and pollination – EU Bee Week – which has been held at the European Parliament since 2012,
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 b (new)
Citation 4 b (new)
- having regard to the EFSA report ‘Collecting and Sharing Data on Bee Health: Towards a European Bee Partnership’ of September 2017, which put into practice the European Bee Partnership
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the beekeeping sector is hugely significant (around EUR 14.2 annually), as 84 % of plant species and 76 % of food production are dependent on pollination by wild and domestic bees, which also helps maintain the ecological balance and biological diversity in Europe;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the importance of pollination in the EU is not sufficiently recognized because this service is taken for granted, while for example in the United States 2 billion euros are spent per year for artificial pollination;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the National Apiculture Programmes provides participants with the opportunity to undertake research and development projects; whereas successful projects can contribute a lot to strengthen the apiculture sector and its capability to resist better to natural and market crises; whereas there is a need to support beekeepers' request on sharing know-how on projects between Member States;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas there is a need for beekeepers to operate in harmony with the services which they carry out and to do so responsibly and professionally; also in order to be able to cope with challenges such as climate change, natural disasters, reduction of bee pastures and the high administrative burden in some Member States;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the causes of bee mortality are multifaceted and vary markedly according to geographical area, local characteristics and climatic conditions;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas the impact of climate change means that some migratory bird species (such as species from the Meropidae family) have recently been remaining permanently in Europe, where they are having a negative impact on bee communities;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas British researchers have recently come to the scientific conclusion that local and regional breeds of bees better survive in a given area than breeds of bees settled from elsewhere;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H c (new)
Recital H c (new)
Hc. whereas wild bees, which also play an important role in pollination and in the preservation of the ecological balance, are in serious danger, so EU legislators need to act to protect wild bees;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas beekeepers, agricultural producers and environmentalists also expect there to be a clear scientific consensus on all substances and other factors which are a danger to bees’ healththe causes of bee mortality and the ways to eliminate these; noting that the lack of coordination of research into pollinators at European level is resulting in a proliferation of studies whose varying – and even contradictory – scientific findings can be partially ascribed to the use of different analytical methods and research protocols; stressing that this confused situation is hampering efforts to counter pollinator mortality;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas the introduction of harmonised data that is available and accessible throughout Europe is one of the main challenges in terms of better combating the decline in pollinators; stressing the importance of sharing that data among all stakeholders in the bee sector, and notably beekeepers; noting, in this connection, the value of digital tools and media; pointing to the ‘European Bee Partnership’ initiative, launched in June 2017 by EFSA during the European Week of bees and pollination to respond to this challenge;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)
Recital I b (new)
Ib. whereas, in order to stop and then reduce the mortality of bees, it is necessary to obtain clear results as soon as possible, in particular by field tests, of all pesticide active substances which endanger the health of bees;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I c (new)
Recital I c (new)
Ic. whereas it is important to step up dialogue and cooperation among all the stakeholders (beekeepers, farmers, scientists, NGOs, local authorities, plant protection industries, the private sector, veterinarians and the general public), including on the collection and sharing of data;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas pronounced temperature variations in spring, as well as more frequent droughts caused by recent climate change, have led to the degradation of bee pastures or even their total disappearance;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas beekeepers alwaysre produceing less and less honey once the winter is over, because of autumn and winter losses which can be as much as 50 % in some Member States, and as a result of the thinning of colonies in that period;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
La. whereas the scarcity and poor diversity of flowering plants are one of the main causes of the weakening and/or mortality of the bee population, and of the decrease in hive productivity; pointing out that agriculture, given the surface areas and crop diversity involved, is the main source of the bee diet throughout the year; noting that farmers should be encouraged, within the framework of the ‘ecological focus areas’ under the CAP, to implement ‘beekeeping focus areas’, in particular during the low-flowering season; considering also that the planting of flowering plants in gardens and urban areas, by the public and/or local and regional authorities, also helps enrich pollinator dietary sources;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L b (new)
Recital L b (new)
Lb. whereas the increase in bee mortality has forced beekeepers to buy new colonies more regularly, resulting in an increase in the production costs for honey products; noting also that the cost of a bee colony has increased at least four times over in recent years; noting lastly that replacing a bee colony can often lead to a decrease in production in the short and medium term, since new colonies are less productive when first being established;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital P
Recital P
P. whereas, even 70 % of honey produced by EU beekeepers pursuing their activities in line with current legislation reaches the European consumer as EU honey while consumers are aware that no more than one third of the honey they use is produced in the EU;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Q a (new)
Recital Q a (new)
Qa. whereas China produces 450 thousand tons of honey per year according to the statistics, which is more than the combined honey production of the EU, Argentina, Mexico, the United States of America and Canada;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital R a (new)
Recital R a (new)
Ra. Whereas, according to professionals in the EU and in other honey-producing countries in the World it is impossible for any region, including China, to double honey production in 10 years, as neither this area can be free from all negative effects impacting the World such as climate change, the effects of intensive agriculture on pollinators, the impacts of globally widespread bee parasites on bee-health or the adverse changes on bee pastures;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital U
Recital U
U. whereas in December 2015the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in its meeting in December 2015 discussed quality concerns about honey imported into the EU and the competitiveness of the European apiculture sector; whereas in conclusion the Commission ordered the centralised testing of honey;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AA a (new)
Recital AA a (new)
AAa. whereas this excellent initiative is open to all EU Member States to contribute to the education of children to eat healthy food such as honey and to promote the apiculture sector;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AA b (new)
Recital AA b (new)
AAb. whereas the EU school programmes represent a critical tool to reconnect children with agriculture and the variety of EU agricultural products, particularly those produced in their region; whereas in addition to fresh fruits and vegetables and drinking milk, these programmes allow Member States to include other local, regional or national specialties such as honey;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AF a (new)
Recital AF a (new)
AFa. whereas large quantities of honey are imported into the EU and it cause serious disturbances and even crisis in the EU honey market in many times; whereas the apiculture sector deserves to be treated as a priority in the EU during the negotiations of free trade agreements and honey and other bee products should be declared as “sensitive products”;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. calls on the European Commission to do its utmost to ensure that the United Nations, by the end of this year, declares the 20th of May as World Bee Day;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Understands that financing of beekeeping must be increased in future agricultural policy preferably from 2021;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Pcalls on the Commission and the Member States that the EU apiculture sector needs for an appropriate EU subsidy corresponding to the current bee stock; therefore, proposes a 47.8% increase in the EU budget for national beekeeping programmes – in line with the actual increase in the bee population – as compared with the 2004 level, which translates as EUR 47 million annually;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Ccalls on the Commission to include a new direct support scheme for beekeepers based on colony numberfunctioning in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as pursuing their activities in the overseas territories and islands, based on bee families in its proposals for the cCommon aAgricultural pPolicy post-2020;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission to include a new direct support scheme for beekeepers based on colony numbersper bee community in its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considers that it would be wise to share beekeeping research topics and the findings which result – particularly where these are financed by the EU – among the Member States in order to avoid duplication; to set up a common database, harmonised at EU level; and to improve the sharing of such information among all parties involved, in particular beekeepers; therefore calls on the Commission to boost EFSA’s research programmes in this area, particularly the ‘Collecting and Sharing Data on Bee Health: towards a European Bee Partnership’ project, which was launched as part of the European Week of Bees and Pollination;
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. calls on the Member States to adequately ensure the basic and vocational training of beekeepers; feels that beyond the agricultural and other economic aspects of apiculture the teaching material should contain a knowledge related to pollination and other environmental services such as maintaining the ecological balance and preserving biodiversity;
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Feels that in cases where bee pastures disappear as a result of bad weather, funding should be authorised for feeding bees (sugar, sugar beet, inverted sugar syrup) through national beekeeping programmes;
Amendment 320 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Proposes that the Commission should launch a call for tender with an appropriate incentive grant on developing a new special medicine for bees;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Member States and the regions to use all means possible to protect local and regional bee varietspecies from the undesirable spread of naturalised or invasive alien varieties in the EU; species and alien species of flora or fauna in the EU which have a direct and/or indirect impact on pollinators;
Amendment 339 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. calls on the Commission and the Council to take the necessary steps as soon as possible in order to preserve the currently declining wild bee stock in the EU;
Amendment 349 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the Commission to immediately initiate the ban on those pesticide active substances, including neonicotinoids, which have been scientifically proved - based on the findings of laboratory analyses and mainly field tests - by the European Food Safety Authority to be dangerous on bee health;
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls for a review of the protected status of migratory bird species which cause damage to bee communities and which remain in Europe at times when they should not naturally be present on the continent;
Amendment 369 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Calls on the Member States to clearly stand by (in the appropriate process) the prohibition of the use of those pesticide active substances which have been proved being dangerous on bee health;
Amendment 379 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14c. In accordance with the EU precautionary principle asks the Commission to suspend the authorization of those pesticide active substances which, according to suspicion based on field tests, endangers bee health, until the publication of the EFSA's detailed impact assessment;
Amendment 410 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Expects honeyBelieves that honey should always to be identifiable from the moment it leaves the hive and to be classifiable according to its plant origin, irrespective of whether it is a domestic or an imported product, except in cases of direct transactions between a producer and a consumer;
Amendment 423 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24 a. considers that in the light of large Chinese honey import accelerated in the last 15 years, the buying-in price of honey under real production costs in the EU and the bad quality of “manufactured” and not produced imported honey makes it clear for the Commission that it is time to start investigating the practice by some Chinese exporters to possibly initiate an anti-dumping proceeding;
Amendment 476 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 b (new)
Paragraph 32 b (new)
32 b. proposes to the Member States to encourage, by all means at their disposal, the involvement of beekeeping products such as pollen, propolis or royal jelly in the pharmaceutical industry;