Activities of James NICHOLSON related to 2017/2115(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on prospects and challenges for the EU apiculture sector PDF (401 KB) DOC (96 KB)
Amendments (35)
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 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
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 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas farmbeekeepers are often powerless to combat bee diseases and parasites as they lack clear information, training and effective means of counteracting these threats; pointing out that beekeepers receive support for protective measures against Varroa destructor, which there has so far been no success in eradicating as there are no effective remedies as yet and R&D efforts are very inadequate, not least as regards treating hives (treatment against parasitic species, the impact of bee diets, exposure to chemical products); whereas beekeepers are obliged to declare diseases and the parasites affecting them, entailing the systematic destruction of hives; stressing that this may encourage beekeepers not to declare diseases and pests;
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 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. Highlights the importance of the sharing of harmonised, accessible and up- to-date data in relation to bee health and challenges with all stakeholders across Europe and notes the positive potential of digital tools and platforms in this regard, notes that the collection of data in relation to bee health should not place an additional burden on beekeepers;
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 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas the statistics indicate progress in the EU’s beekeeping sector, with an increase in the number of bee colonies and honey production over the past 15 years and an ongoing rise in the number of beekeepers, and especially of amateur beekeepers;
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 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 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas there has been a two-fold increase in the amount of honey produced and exported in some countries over the past 15 years whils; deplores the fact that the EU is barely 560% self- sufficient in honey – a figure which is not increasing – cannot be explainewhile the number of hives in the EU nearly doubled between 2003 and 2016 and the number of beekeepers increased from around 470 000 to around 630 000 during the same period; whereas in 2015 the three leading European producers of honey were Romania, Spain and Germany, followed by Hungary, Greece, France and Poland;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O
Recital O
O. whereas every year the EU imports 25about 40% of the honey it uses (60 % of its annual imports) each year from these countries, which is why Europe’s beekeepers are in dire straitconsumed in the EU; whereas, in 2015, the honey imported was on average 2.3 times cheaper than the honey produced in the Union, creating a serious competitive disadvantage for Europe’s beekeepers compared to producers from third countries;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Q
Recital Q
Q. whereas since 2001 the amount of honey in the world’s major honey- producing regions has stagnated or decreased as a result of the poor health of bees, whilst the amount of honey produced in China has increased by over 80 % (20doubled (to around 450 000 tonnes in 2012);
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital V
Recital V
V. whereas the honey samples from the Member StatMember State honey samples were tested by the Joint Research Centre, which found, among other things, that 20 % of the samples taken at the EU’s external border and at importers’ premises were fake honeythat did not respect the honey composition and/or honey production processes laid down in the Honey Directive (2001/110/EC), and 14% of the samples contained added sugar;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital X
Recital X
X. whereas the imbalance which developed in the European honey market caused the purchase price of honey in the EU’s main producing countries (Romania, Bulgaria, Spain, Portugal, France, Croatia and Hungary) to halve by the end of 2016 as compared with the 2014 price, which is puttingcontinues to put Europe’s beekeepers in a hopelessdifficult and unsustainable position;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Y
Recital Y
Y. whereas the ‘HoneyRecital 6 of the amending Directive states that under Directive’ ( 2001/110/EC) sets out that the country of origin must be indicated but that a simplified indicatio, where honey originates in more than one Member State or third country, the mandatory indication of the countries of origin may be used instead, e.g.replaced by one of the following, as appropriate: ‘blend of EC honeys’, ‘blend of non- EC honeys’ or, ‘blend of EC and non-EC honeys’; , however following the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Union replaced and succeeded the European Community and the relevant labelling requirements were clarified and with the replacement of the reference to ‘EC’ by a reference to ‘EU’;”
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AB
Recital AB
AB. whereas, although getting local producers involved in ‘honey school’ programmes imposes an additional administrative and financial burden, the impact on the childpotential benefits in terms of strengthening of awaren’ess outlook means the costs will be amply repaid in the futuref the nutritional benefits of honey, the importance of apiculture and the encouragement of increased consumption could benefit the sector and the honey chain overall;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AF
Recital AF
AF. whereas other beekeeping products such as pollen, propolis, beeswax and royal jelly also contribute significantly to people’s wellbeing and play an important role in the healthcare and cosmetics industries; whereas, however, these products are not defined in the ‘Honey’ Directive (2001/110/EC), which mitigates against implementing an effective sectoral policy and impedes quality-based approaches and the fight against fraud;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. 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 annuallyNotes the importance of a robust budget allocation for national beekeeping programmes and given the importance of the sector to agriculture overall, calls on the Commission to ensure its prominence in future agricultural policy negotiations in terms of support, research and innovation and beekeeping education programmes;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
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 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Commission to adopt recommendations in order to introduce a uniform, high-quality basic and vocational beekeeping education programme in the EUwork with the sector to develop a code of best practice in beekeeping, supported via access at Member State level to high- quality training;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Understands that some invasive alien species such as the Varroa destructor, the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida), the Asian hornet and American foulbrood, as well as some pathogens, are the main cause of bee mortality and are causing serious harm to beekeepers and widespread destruction among bees; calls on the Commission to draw up an inventory to evaluate the existing and emerging health risks at EU and international level prior to setting up an action plan to combat bee mortality; proposes making the fight against Varroa compulsory at EU level;
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Commission to involve all relevant drug producers in research into bee drugs, primarily to combat Varroa, and to set up a common IT platform to share best solutions and drugs with interested parties;
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 342 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the European Food Safety Authority to carry outCommission to undertake increased research (laboratory analyses and field experiments), according to a clearly-determined schedule and together with the other EU agencies concerned, into allinto all practices, substances and other factors which endanger bee health;
Amendment 435 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Asks that the ‘blend of EC and non- EC honeys’ descriptor be replaced by an traceability mechanism allowing for the indication of exactly which country or countries the honeys used in the final products come from and that these be listed in the order which corresponds to the proportions used in the final product;
Amendment 440 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Supports the idea of the Member States making it obligatory to indicate the placeNotes that Directive 2001/110/EC and the 2014 amending Directive require the country of origin ofwhere the honey on honey and otherhas been harvested to bee products, as is the case with certain meat and dairy productsindicated on the label where the honey originates in one Member State or one third country;
Amendment 450 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
Amendment 467 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
Amendment 477 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Asks the Commission to ensure that the EU declares honey and other bee products to beare considered as ‘sensitive products’ in future free trade agreement negotiations where direct competition would expose the EU apiculture sector to excessive or unsustainable pressure;