48 Amendments of Mairead McGUINNESS related to 2017/2115(INI)
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 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the beekeeping sector is hugelycontributes significantly (around EUR 14.2 annually), as 84% of plant species and 76% of food production are dependent on pollination by 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 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas Europe is home to approximately 10% of global bee diversity, there is insufficient knowledge and data, which may hinder conservation efforts to protect bee species
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas on 11 May 2015, Slovenia initiated at the meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council the official recognition of 20 May as the World Bee Day to be declared by the UN, which idea was widely supported by all Member States; whereas it was agreed there that particular attention should be paid to the apiculture sector in terms of agriculture, plant protection and sustainable farming, because bees have a large impact on ecological balance in the World;
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 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 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 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)
Recital I b (new)
Ib. whereas a common and harmonised database should contain information on, inter alia, the type of crop and agricultural practice, the presence of pests and diseases, climate and weather conditions, the landscape and infrastructure, the density of bee colonies per Member State, and the bee mortality rate;
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 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 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Understands that beehoney bees, alongside wild bees and other pollinators perform a basic agricultural service by pollinating crops, without which European agriculture and in particular plant cultivation would not exist in any form;
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 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Acknowledges the important role of non-professional and hobby bee keepers in ensuring the long-term health and sustainability of local bee ecotypes;
Amendment 234 #
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 numbersing in its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020; emphasises the need to link supports with appropriate training in beekeeping,
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 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Believes that ‘beekeeping areas’ , along the lines of EFAs, should be encouraged as part of the greening of the CAP;
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 296 #
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 are causing serious harm to beekeepers and widespread destruction among bees; acknowledges that bees are vulnerable to native diseases and pests; encourages research into effective breeding programmes to produce bee species resilient to invasive species and diseases;
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 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 323 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Acknowledges that the results of monitoring exercises to assess the bee health situation carried out by some Member States are important and should be shared with the other Member States and with the Commission; calls for an EU wide online mechanism to facilitate knowledge transfers;
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 336 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls on all municipal authorities in the EU to make every effort to increase green areas around their settlement in order to stop the decline of bee pastures;
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 348 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. 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; calls on the European Parliament to follow this scientific assessment in its decision making process;
Amendment 351 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Welcomes the decision by some garden centres, and other plant retailers to no longer sell plants grown using neonicotiniods; notes that seeds and plants treated with pesticides may have residues harmful to bees at point of purchase;
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 370 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. In the case where a competent EU authority, such as the European Food Safety Authority, has confirmed products to be harmful to bees, such products should be labelled as "harmful to bees";
Amendment 425 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls on the Commission to require official batch-sampling and testing of honey from non-EU countries at the EU’s external borders, in line with Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 (later Regulation (EU) 2017/625);
Amendment 432 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Asks that the ‘blend of EC and non- EC honeys’ descriptor be replaced by an 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 percentage proportions used in the final product (i.e. the percentage of EC and non-EC honeys);
Amendment 433 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Asks that the ‘blend of EC and non- EC honeys’ descriptor be replaced by an indication of exactly percentage of 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 447 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Acknowledges and welcomes the European Honey Breakfast initiative and calls on the Member States to incorporate the initiative into their basic education systems; notes that honey is high in calories and can be used to replace refined sugar;
Amendment 455 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 30 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Acknowledges the role of consuming locally produced honey as a means to build up resistance to local allergens;
Amendment 473 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32 a. encourages the Member States to boost local and regional sales of honey, in particular bio-honey, with all the means at their disposal, in particular by providing intensive support for short supply chains through their rural development programmes;
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;