2017/2115(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

~~L. whereas beekeepers always produce less honey once the winter is over, because of autumn and winter losses which can be as much as 50% in some Member States;~~deleted

Amendment 102 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Marijana PETIR

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas beekeepers always produce less honey once the winter is over, because of ~~autumn and winter losses~~losses in winter, which can be as much as 50 % in some Member States, and whereas these losses can be offset by as much as 30% of the populations by anticipating this phenomenon and using fall-back colonies;

Amendment 103 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas beekeepers always produce less honey once the winter is over, because of autumn and winter losses which can be as much as 50% in some Member States; whereas in some regions the mortality rate of the winter has surpassed 50%, reaching to 100% in some cases with various reasons behind this;

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas beekeepers a~~lways~~re 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 105 #

Laurenţiu REBEGA, Angelo CIOCCA

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas beekeepers always ~~produce less honey~~have fewer hives once the winter is over, because of autumn and winter losses which can be ~~as much as~~more than 50 % in some Member States;

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas ~~beekeepers always produce less honey once the winter is over, because of autumn and winter losses which can be as much as~~honey production is seriously affected by the loss of bee colonies in winter, resulting in losses that may exceed 50 % in some Member States;

Amendment 107 #

Michel DANTIN, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Marijana PETIR, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
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 109 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)

La. whereas the ecosystem is facing threats due to climate change and the ensuing droughts that are hindering proper flowering in certain regions;

Amendment 11 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Marijana PETIR, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
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 110 #

La. whereas there may be many reasons for beekeeping production losses, and climate change has a significant impact on flowering plants;

Amendment 111 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Marijana PETIR, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
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 112 #

Ulrike MÜLLER, Hilde VAUTMANS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Hannu TAKKULA

Motion for a resolution
Recital M

M. whereas beekeepers never use as many bee colonies in honey production as the statistics show, since ~~producers restore~~ they rebuild the original number of colonies in the course of the year, at the expense of production quantities;

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)

Ma. whereas the reconstruction of lost bee colonies also requires honey and that honey production is essentially a matter of weather conditions; warm and moist weather promotes the honey production, while cold and wet at the same time impedes it;

Amendment 114 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Recital M a (new)

Ma. whereas the amount of damage caused by Vespa velutina in apiaries is high and public authorities are failing to shoulder their responsibilities in managing this invasive alien species;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
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 explaine~~while 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 116 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU

Motion for a resolution
Recital N

N. whereas the two-fold increase in the amount of honey produced and exported in some countries over the past 15 years whilst the EU is barely 50% self-sufficient in honey – a figure which is not increasing – cannot be explained; whereas it is essential to promote local production and consumption;

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital N

N. whereas the two-fold increase in the amount of honey produced and exported in some countries over the past 15 years whilst the EU is barely 560% self-sufficient in honey – a figure which is not increasing – cannot be explained;

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

~~O. whereas the EU imports 25 % of the honey it uses (60 % of its annual imports) each year from these countries, which is why Europe’s beekeepers are in dire straits;~~deleted

Amendment 119 #

Ulrike MÜLLER, Hilde VAUTMANS, Frédérique RIES, Hannu TAKKULA

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

~~O. whereas the EU imports 25% of the honey it uses (60% of its annual imports) each year from these countries, which is why Europe’s beekeepers are in dire straits;~~deleted

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas the beekeeping sector is ~~hugely significant~~a vital sector for the EU (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 120 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
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 strait~~consumed 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 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas the EU imports 25almost 50 % of the honey it ~~uses (60 % of its annual imports) each year from these~~consumes; whereas, whilst we produce 250 000 tonnes of honey a year in the European Union, we import 200 000 tonnes a year, mainly from countries~~, whi~~ such ias ~~why Europe’s beekeepers are in dire straits~~China, Ukraine and Mexico;

Amendment 122 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU

O. whereas the EU imports 25% of the honey it uses (60% of its annual imports) each year from these countries, which is why Europe’s beekeepers are in dire straits; whereas the EU imports highest quantities of honey from People's republic of China, Ukraine, Argentina and Mexico;

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas the EU imports 25 % of the honey it uses (60 % of its annual imports) each year from ~~these~~ countries such as China, Ukraine, Mexico and Argentina, which is why Europe’s beekeepers are in dire straits;

Amendment 124 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Edouard FERRAND, Angelo CIOCCA, Laurenţiu REBEGA

Motion for a resolution
Recital O

O. whereas the EU imports 25% of the honey it uses (60% of its annual imports) each year ~~from these countries, which is why Europe’s beekeepers are in dire straits~~and the European Union is not able to cap the degree of self-sufficiency;

Amendment 125 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital O a (new)

Oa. whereas imported honey is often adulterated or fake honey, which is not produced by bees and does not meet the standards applied to European beekeepers;

Amendment 126 #

Ulrike MÜLLER, Hilde VAUTMANS, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

~~P. whereas consumers are aware that no more than one third of the honey they use is produced in the EU;~~deleted

Amendment 127 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas consumers ~~are aware that no more than one third of the honey they use is produced in the EU;~~ often think they are eating honey from the EU, whereas a proportion of that honey comes from third countries and is sometimes mixed with EU honey, while some of the imported honey is adulterated;

Amendment 128 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA, Marijana PETIR

Motion for a resolution
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 129 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Recital P

P. whereas ~~consumers~~a big part of the consumers in the EU are unaware that no more than one third of the honey they use is produced in the EU;

Amendment 13 #

Mairead McGUINNESS, Michel DANTIN, Angélique DELAHAYE

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas the beekeeping sector ~~is hugely~~contributes 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 130 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Edouard FERRAND, Angelo CIOCCA, Laurenţiu REBEGA

P. whereas consumers are ~~aware that no more than~~often uninformed as to a maximum of one third of the honey they use isbeing produced in the EU;

Amendment 131 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital P a (new)

Pa. Whereas in several Member States the number of bee colonies is declining and the population employed in apiculture sector is aging.

Amendment 132 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
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~~honey production in China has increased by over 80 % (to 200 000 tonnes);

Amendment 133 #

Motion for a resolution
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 in China has~~and disappearance of bees, whilst honey production in China is said to have increased by over 80 % (200 000 tonnes);

Amendment 134 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
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 % (20~~doubled (to around 450 000 tonnes in 2012);

Amendment 135 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV, Michel DANTIN

Motion for a resolution
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 136 #

Laurenţiu REBEGA, Angelo CIOCCA

Motion for a resolution
Recital R

R. whereas 100 000 tonnes of imported honey arrives in the EU from China every year – double the amount in 2002 – even though the number of bee colonies has declined in other parts of the world, while not all Member States are able to carry out analyses to detect irregularities in imported honey;

Amendment 137 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Recital R

R. whereas ~~100 000 tonnes of imported honey arrives in the EU from China every year~~in 2015 half of the EU’s imported honey (200 000 tonnes) came from China – double the amount in 2002 – even though the number of bee colonies has declined in other parts of the world;

Amendment 138 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital R

R. whereas 100 000 tonnes of imported honey ar~~rives~~e imported into the EU from China every year – double the amount recorded in 2002 – ~~even though the number of bee colonies has declined in other parts of the world~~and this is often adulterated with exogenous cane or corn sugar;

Amendment 139 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Paolo DE CASTRO

Motion for a resolution
Recital R

R. whereas approximately 100 000 tonnes of imported honey arrives in the EU from China ~~every~~during the last few years – double the amount in 2002 – even though the number of bee colonies has declined in other parts of the world;

Amendment 14 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas the beekeeping sector is hugely significant (around EUR 14.2 annually), as 84 % of plant species and 7640% of food production are dependent on pollination by bees, which also helps maintain the ecological balance and biological diversity in Europe;

Amendment 140 #

Motion for a resolution
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 141 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Recital S a (new)

Sa. whereas not all member states have laboratories, which can conduct full honey analyses, which causes a challenge for the sector in trying to use the opportunities for marketing the products on the single European market;

Amendment 142 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital T a (new)

Ta. Whereas the medicines available on the market to treat bee diseases are limited and there is an increased need for innovative veterinary medicines.

Amendment 143 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital T b (new)

Tb. Whereas exchange of good practices and innovative practices would bring added value to the European apiculture sector, and a specific programme like "Erasmus" for beekeepers could be financed by Pillar II of the CAP.

Amendment 144 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA, Mairead McGUINNESS, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV, Michel DANTIN

Motion for a resolution
Recital T c (new)

Tc. Whereas the veterinary medicines residues in honey can prevent it being marketed and deprive beekeepers of income.

Amendment 145 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital U

U. whereas ~~in December 2015~~the 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 146 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Edouard FERRAND, Angelo CIOCCA, Laurenţiu REBEGA

Motion for a resolution
Recital U

U. whereas, in December 2015, the Commission ordered ~~the~~ centralised test~~ing of honey~~s on honey, but fake and adulterated honey continues to enter Europe;

Amendment 147 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Recital U

U. whereas it was only in December 2015 that the Commission ordered the centralised testing of honey;

Amendment 148 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital V

V. whereas the ~~honey samples from the Member Stat~~Member 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 honey~~that 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 149 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Edouard FERRAND, Angelo CIOCCA, Laurenţiu REBEGA

Motion for a resolution
Recital V a (new)

Va. whereas free trade agreements and the opening-up of quotas to countries such as Ukraine have weakened the European beekeeping sector;

Amendment 15 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas on 26 February 2016 in Kuala-Lumpur a report was published by the experts of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) which sounded the alarm on the decline in pollinators, of which the European domestic honey bee (apis mellifera) is the most widespread pollinator in the world;

Amendment 150 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital X

X. whereas the imbalance which developed in the European honey market, as a result of a policy of wholesale importation of fake low-cost honey, 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 putting Europe’s beekeepers in a hopeless position;

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
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 putting~~continues to put Europe’s beekeepers in a ~~hopeless~~difficult and unsustainable position;

Amendment 152 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA

Motion for a resolution
Recital Y

Y. whereas ~~the ‘Honey~~Recital 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 153 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital Y a (new)

Ya. whereas the labelling “blend of EU and non-EU honeys” is so informative to consumers as if we were to say “blend of honeys not from the Mars”, so it is not at all;

Amendment 154 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Recital Z

Z. whereas many honey packagers and traders now abuse this way of indicating origin in order to conceal the real country of origin, as well as the proportion of honey from the different countries, as purchasers are becoming more knowledgeable and are distrustful of foodstuffs from certain countries;

Amendment 155 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Vladimir URUTCHEV

Motion for a resolution
Recital Z a (new)

Za. whereas many large honey producer countries such as the USA, Canada, Argentina or Mexico have much stricter requirements on honey labelling than the EU's simplified rules, so they guarantee much better the necessary information of consumers than the EU;

Amendment 156 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Vladimir URUTCHEV

Motion for a resolution
Recital Z a (new)

Za. whereas the ‘from Europe’ label is misleading for consumers, given that the actual percentage of honey from Europe is, generally speaking, minimal, being mixed with honey from third countries;

Amendment 157 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital Z b (new)

Zb. whereas current rules do not deal with fraudulent practices on processed products such as biscuits, corn flakes, confectionary etc. if the word „honey” is misleading consumers on the real content of the given product; whereas the use of the word „honey” on their label should be permitted only if at least 50 % of the sugar-content of the product originates from honey;

Amendment 158 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA, Mairead McGUINNESS, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV, Michel DANTIN

Motion for a resolution
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 159 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA, Mairead McGUINNESS, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV, Michel DANTIN

Motion for a resolution
Recital AA a (new)

AAa. whereas the Slovenian initiative to have 20 May declared World Bee Day was endorsed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) at its July 2017 Rome Conference;

Amendment 16 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA, Albert DESS, Mairead McGUINNESS, Peter JAHR, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV, Michel DANTIN

Motion for a resolution
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 160 #

Motion for a resolution
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 161 #

James NICHOLSON

Motion for a resolution
Recital AB

AB. whereas, although getting local producers involved in ‘honey school’ programmes imposes an additional administrative and financial burden, the ~~impact on the child~~potential benefits in terms of strengthening of awaren’ess o~~utlook means the costs will be amply repaid in the future~~f 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 162 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AB

AB. whereas, although getting local producers involved in ‘honey school’ programmes imposes an additional financial burden, the impact on the children’s outlook means the costs will be amply repaid in the future; whereas, the local producers experience difficulties to participate in the ‘honey school’ programmes due to restrictive application of the legislation on the direct supply of small quantities of honey in some Member States;

Amendment 163 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Paolo DE CASTRO

Motion for a resolution
Recital AC

AC. whereas annual honey consumption varies hugely across the Member States: whilst Member States in Western Europe have an average consumption of 2.5-2.7 kg per person, the figure for ~~Hungary, for example, is just 0.7 kg~~the countries from the 2004, 2007 and 2013 enlargements are as low as 0.7 kg in some cases;

Amendment 164 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Paolo DE CASTRO

Motion for a resolution
Recital AC a (new)

ACa. whereas the European quality schemes and particularly the GI schemes have a great importance for the preservation and creation of jobs; whereas more than 30 GIs for honey have been registered so far; whereas "European" and "made in Europe" is often associated with products with high value;

Amendment 165 #

Ulrike MÜLLER, Hilde VAUTMANS, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Recital AD

AD. whereas the positive physiological impact of honey, particularly in terms of health, ~~means that it should be promoted and its consumption encouraged in all the Member States;~~given its antiseptic, anti- inflammatory and healing properties, means that it should be promoted among medical and paramedical practitioners and its consumption encouraged in all the Member States; calls for the future common agricultural policy to recognise apitherapy as a priority

Amendment 166 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AE

AE. whereas numerous examples of self-organisation and direct sale from the beekeeper is showing that the sale of honeys and other beekeeping products with short supply chains and at local producers’ markets is hugely successful~~, particularly for bio-honey~~;

Amendment 167 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Frédérique RIES, Angélique DELAHAYE

Motion for a resolution
Recital AE a (new)

AEa. Whereas products that contain less than 30 percent honey are sold as honey, thereby misleading consumers.

Amendment 168 #

Motion for a resolution
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 169 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF

AF. whereas other beekeeping products such as pollen, propolis, beeswax and royal jelly a~~lso~~re not adequately defined and regulated at European level, which facilitates fraud and growing adulteration; whereas these products are increasingly used as high quality foods, contribute significantly to people’s wellbeing and play an important role in the healthcare and cosmetics industries;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas bees and other pollinators provide the important economic service of pollination and thus reproduction of many cultivated and wild plants, ensuring food production and food security - free of charge;

Amendment 170 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF

AF. whereas other beekeeping products such as pollen, propolis, beeswax and royal jelly a~~lso~~re not adequately defined and regulated at European level, which facilitates increasing fraud and adulteration; whereas, however, they are increasingly being used as high-quality food and contribute significantly to ~~people’s~~citizens’ wellbeing ~~and play an important~~, while also playing a key role in ~~the~~ healthcare and cosmetics ~~industries~~;

Amendment 171 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF

AF. wWhereas, although 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, they are not properly defined and regulated at EU level, facilitating fraud;

Amendment 172 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF

Amendment 173 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF

AF. whereas other beekeeping products such as pollen, propolis, beeswax ~~and~~, royal jelly and bee venom also contribute significantly to people’s wellbeing ~~and~~, play an important role in the healthcare and cosmetics industries and are an additional resource serving to improve the economic situation of apiaries;

Amendment 174 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF

Amendment 175 #

Motion for a resolution
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 176 #

Peter JAHR, Norbert LINS, Annie SCHREIJER-PIERIK, Herbert DORFMANN

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF a (new)

AFa. Whereas the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) considers 40% of all pollinating species globally to be under threat of extinction and concludes that wild pollinators have declined in both occurrence and diversity, and in abundance for certain species, at local and regional scales in North West Europe;

Amendment 177 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF a (new)

AFa. whereas timely and precise data collection is important for faster and more accurate planning; whereas the new technologies and digitalisation can have a crucial role in cutting costs and times; whereas some technologies can have hidden effects on the bees via the use of electromagnetic waves among others;

Amendment 178 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF a (new)

AFa. whereas beekeepers and farmers alike have an interest in maintaining the bee population, so that any potential conflicts between beekeeping and agriculture should be avoided by means of adequate communication;

Amendment 179 #

Mairead McGUINNESS, Norbert ERDŐS, Angélique DELAHAYE

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF a (new)

AFa. whereas beekeepers are the victims of malpractice in the field of the marketing of wax as a result of the lack of a legal framework for beeswax, and whereas this fraudulent practice has an impact on the health of bee colonies;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
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 180 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF a (new)

AFa. whereas the apiculture sector suffers from a particularly serious demographic problem, with statistics showing that only a small percentage of beekeepers are under 50 years of age, leading to a lack of young people that jeopardizes the future of the sector;

Amendment 181 #

Laurenţiu REBEGA, Angelo CIOCCA

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF a (new)

AFa. whereas beekeeping is closely linked to agriculture, given the importance of certain crops which, in certain areas and at certain times of the year, are the only source of nourishment for bees, consisting of nectar and pollen;

Amendment 182 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF a (new)

Amendment 183 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF a (new)

AFa. Whereas the rules in the current organic regulation concerning beekeeping are contradictory and applied differently by the Member States, hindering the development of this production model;

Amendment 184 #

Maria NOICHL, Nicola CAPUTO, Momchil NEKOV, Marc TARABELLA, Jean-Paul DENANOT

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF a (new)

AFa. whereas only a complete cultivation ban on GMOs will protect all bees from GM pollen and protect European consumers from honey contaminated by GM pollen;

Amendment 185 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF b (new)

AFb. whereas agricultural modernisation, especially in the new Member States, involves the cultivation of new varieties and hybrids with regard to the main honey-bearing crops, with lower nectar and pollen yields and shorter flowering periods;

Amendment 186 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF b (new)

Amendment 187 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF b (new)

AFb. Whereas International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) national Red List assessments, where available, show that often more than 40% of bee species maybe threatened with extinction;

Amendment 188 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF c (new)

AFc. Whereas International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessments show that in Europe 9% of bee and butterfly species are threatened and populations are declining for 37% (excluding data deficient species);

Amendment 189 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF c (new)

AFc. whereas greening rules are failing to resolve effectively the lack of nutrition for bee colonies, given that monoculture is becoming increasingly widespread;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas per nature the beekeeping is often practiced in the open and the beehives are thus exposed to additional external factors such as attacks from wild animals;

Amendment 190 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF c (new)

AFc. whereas greening rules are failing to resolve effectively the lack of nutrition for bee colonies, given that monoculture is becoming increasingly widespread;

Amendment 191 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF d (new)

AFd. Whereas the long-term health and sustainability of the apiculture sector in Europe rests on ensuring the long-term health and sustainability of local honey bee ecotypes, given their diversity and adaptation to local environments;

Amendment 192 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF d (new)

AFd. whereas bee colonies sustain substantial annual losses as a result of not only depopulation but also fatal pesticide poisoning;

Amendment 193 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF d (new)

AFd. whereas bee colonies sustain substantial annual losses as a result of not only depopulation but also fatal pesticide poisoning;

Amendment 194 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF e (new)

AFe. Whereas neonicotinoid-based pesticides are particularly responsible for the worrying decline in bee populations throughout Europe, as demonstrated in numerous international studies;

Amendment 195 #

Mairead McGUINNESS, Norbert ERDŐS, Angélique DELAHAYE

Motion for a resolution
Recital AF f (new)

AFf. Whereas France has put in place a total ban on the use of all neonicotinoid- based pesticides from 2018, notably in order to protect pollinators;

Amendment 196 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Understands that ~~bee~~honey 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 197 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Edouard FERRAND, Angelo CIOCCA, Laurenţiu REBEGA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Understands that bees perform a basic agricultural service by pollinating crops, without which European agriculture and in particular entomophilous plant cultivation would not exist in any form;

Amendment 198 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Under~~stand~~lines that bees perform a basic agricultural service by pollinating crops, without which European agriculture and in particular plant cultivation would not exist in any form;

Amendment 199 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Understands that bees perform a basic agricultural service by pollinating crops, without which European agriculture and ~~in particular~~most plant cultivation would not exist in any form;

Amendment 2 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Marijana PETIR, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
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 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas bees are key to the preservation of biodiversity;

Amendment 200 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. emphasises that beekeeping has become very complex and sophisticated, as even minor management errors and unfavourable keeping conditions of bees can cause the deaths of bees, despite intensive treatment, therefore knowledge sharing between beekeepers, researchers, associations and institutions on international level must be more supported;

Amendment 201 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Understands that beekeeping makes a fundamental contribution to maintaining the ecological balance and biological diversity, so that the sector must be at the heart of the common agricultural policy and of an agricultural policy reoriented towards sustainable development enabling improved biodiversity, which is indispensable to bees’ survival and repopulation;

Amendment 202 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Under~~stand~~lines that beekeeping makes a fundamental contribution to maintaining the ecological balance and biological diversity, so that the sector must be at the heart of the common agricultural policy;

Amendment 203 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA, Mairead McGUINNESS, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV, Michel DANTIN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Believes that, for this to remain the case, it is necessary to monitor the content of agricultural pesticides and nutrients in surface waters, as well as the content of pesticides in pollen collected by bees;

Amendment 204 #

Motion for a resolution
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 205 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Understands that financing of beekeeping must be ~~increased in future agricultural policy~~structured in a more targeted and effective way in future agricultural policy and backed up by appropriate financial instruments that enable the objectives to be achieved;

Amendment 206 #

Jean-Paul DENANOT, Momchil NEKOV

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Understands that financing of beekeeping must be increased significantly in future agricultural policy, which should translate into an increase in the number of bee colonies in the EU;

Amendment 207 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Understands that financing of beekeeping for food and therapeutic purposes must be increased in future agricultural policy;

Amendment 208 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Albert DESS, Mairead McGUINNESS, Peter JAHR, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV, Michel DANTIN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Understands that financing of beekeeping must be increased in future agricultural policy preferably from 2021;

Amendment 209 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Understands that financing of beekeeping must be substantially increased in future agricultural policy;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)

Bc. whereas the scientific community has noted increases in bee mortality for the past fifteen years, with this phenomenon affecting – according to the IPBES – 37% of wild and domestic bees in Europe; their extinction is having a dramatic impact on the environment (biodiversity) and also on our domestic agricultural production: the demise of the bee would, according to the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, cost EUR 150 billion worldwide, or 10% of the market value of agricultural products intended for human consumption, which attests to the need to protect pollinating insects;

Amendment 210 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Under~~stand~~lines that financing of beekeeping must be considerably increased in future agricultural policy;

Amendment 211 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Considers investment in technical and scientific know-how essential in the beekeeping sector, which suffers badly, in spite of its potential, from a lack of specialists, information and knowledge; investment in research must be geared towards genetic and veterinary aspects (vaccines...), given beekeepers’ very inadequate knowledge of these areas.

Amendment 212 #

Mairead McGUINNESS, Angélique DELAHAYE

Motion for a resolution
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 213 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Proposes a 47.8~~ Calls on each of the Member States, as set out in Article 55 of Regulation 1308 on the Single CMO, to develop a national programme for its beekeeping sector; proposes a 50% increase inover the 2004 EU budget for national beekeeping programmes – in ~~line with the actual~~order to maintain and increase ~~in the~~ bee population ~~– as compared with the 2004 level, which translates as EUR 47 million annually;~~s and support the production and marketing of beekeeping products.

Amendment 214 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV

Motion for a resolution
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 215 #

Michel DANTIN, Nathalie GRIESBECK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Proposes a ~~47.8~~ 100% 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 216 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Proposes ~~a 47.8 % increase~~ doubling 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 217 #

Motion for a resolution
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 218 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Proposes a ~~47.8%~~significant 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~~this would support the beekeeping sector’s enormous growth potential;

Amendment 219 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Recalls that, in addition to national beekeeping plans, the CAP currently has a vast array of tools which can be brought to bear in support of the beekeeping sector. These include, in particular, crop diversification measures, ecological focus areas (EFAs), organic farming measures and measures to support other forms of sustainable agriculture, agro-environmental and climatic measures, measures targeting disadvantaged regions, measures in the Natura 2000 and Habitats Directive, product quality measures and those concerned with the diversification of activities on farms, investment measures to restore ecosystems, forestry measures, installation measures, the European Innovation Partnership...

Amendment 22 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Albert DESS, Mairead McGUINNESS, Peter JAHR, Vladimir URUTCHEV, Michel DANTIN

Motion for a resolution
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 220 #

Ulrike MÜLLER, Hilde VAUTMANS, Frédérique RIES, Hannu TAKKULA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Calls on the Commission to simplify the rules governing support for beekeeping;

Amendment 221 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Considers that the collective management of ecological focus areas with their biodiversity might be extremely useful in terms of food for bees and of their habitat; this communal management may in fact contribute to the establishment of ecological corridors (land left fallow for flowers, tree plantations...) which, by ensuring the presence of bees, allows for increased yields of crops planted alongside the EFAs through improved pollination.

Amendment 222 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

~~5. Calls on the Commission to include a new direct support scheme for beekeepers based on colony numbers in its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020;~~deleted

Amendment 223 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

~~5. Calls on the Commission to include a new direct support scheme for beekeepers based on colony numbers in its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020;~~deleted

Amendment 224 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to include a new direct support scheme for beekeepers based on colony numbers in its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020; calls on the Commission, in addition, to introduce and strengthen indirect measures to help increase the bee population, for instance by considering the possibility of sowing melliferous plant seeds on fallow land or by providing for a mandatory quota of land that each holding must devote to melliferous plants;

Amendment 225 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to include a new direct support scheme for beekeepers based on colony numbers in its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020, with national programmes providing funding for beekeeping organisations, research and the purchase of remedies for plant diseases and pests, particularly varroasis, and promoting cooperation between beekeeping and arable farming organisations;

Amendment 226 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Paolo DE CASTRO, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

Amendment 227 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to include a new direct support scheme for beekeepers, while developing, asserting and incorporating a fair payment for ecological services, such as pollination, which is done by all bees of every registered bee family based on colony numbers in its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020;

Amendment 228 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Marijana PETIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to ~~include a new direct support scheme~~strictly maintain the resources for the actions currently implemented under the Honey CMO and to consider whether to allocate additional resources for a new direct funding for beekeepers based on colony numbers in its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020;

Amendment 229 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Ccalls on the Commission to include a new direct support scheme for beekeepers ~~based on colony number~~functioning 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 23 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Paolo DE CASTRO, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)

Bb. whereas the urban beekeeping gathers popularity in recent years, which shows sustainability, interest and has the potential of increasing awareness among a broader circle of citizens, including children, about the nature and benefits from beekeeping;

Amendment 230 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to include a new direct support scheme for beekeepers based on colony numbers in its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020, along with other measures, for example the purchase of sugar and comb foundations or direct payments to beekeepers to maintain the bee population;

Amendment 231 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to include a new direct support scheme for beekeepers based on colony numbers in its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020 owing to the role that bees play in pollination and commensurate with the value that this activity has for EU agriculture;

Amendment 232 #

Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA, Ramón Luis VALCÁRCEL SISO, Gabriel MATO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to include a new direct support scheme for beekeepers ~~based on colony numbers~~ in its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020, to be complemented by support per hive that is inversely proportional to the number of hives, with a ceiling being set;

Amendment 233 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to inc~~lude a new direct support scheme for beekeepers based on colony numbers in its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020~~rease the budget line earmarked for beekeepers in its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020, taking into account the rising number of colonies recorded in recent years;

Amendment 234 #

Mairead McGUINNESS, Michel DANTIN, Angélique DELAHAYE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to include a new ~~direct~~ support scheme for beekeep~~ers based on colony numbers~~ing in its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020; emphasises the need to link supports with appropriate training in beekeeping,

Amendment 235 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to include a new direct ecosystemic support scheme for beekeepers based on colony numbers in its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020;

Amendment 236 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to include a new direct support scheme for beekeepers based on ~~colony numbers~~objective criteria in its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020;

Amendment 237 #

Marijana PETIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to include a new direct support scheme for beekeepers ~~based on colony numbers~~per bee community in its proposals for the common agricultural policy post-2020;

Amendment 238 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Considers it necessary to develop the potential of beekeeping by further professionalising the sector, in which the vast majority of participants are amateurs (less than 5% in Europe are specialists); considers that developing beekeeping in order to produce hive products and/or swarms for repopulation provides opportunities for jobs and income for farms looking to diversify or for young people aiming to set up as beekeepers, without the need for huge investments at the time of their establishment.

Amendment 239 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Calls on the Commission and the Member states to consider granting coupled payments to the beekeeping sector, taking into consideration the challenges that the sector is facing.

Amendment 24 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas in 2004 the Commission guaranteed EUR 32 million to national beekeeping programmes for the sole benefit of beekeeping, and whereas this had been increased to 36 million by 2006 (representing 3 thousandths of the CAP budget); whereas for the period 2017-2019 EUR 108 million are foreseen for support of the national programmes for the apiculture sector from the EU budget;

Amendment 240 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Calls for consideration to be given to the possibility of introducing a system to compensate beekeepers for losses incurred as a result of lost bee fodder plants;

Amendment 241 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Calls on the Commission to establish a specific support scheme for beekeepers that are affected by invasive alien species or climatic agents;

Amendment 242 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5b. Sees a need for the European Union and the Member States to implement a large-scale strategy of bee repopulation in a coordinated fashion because of the threat of extinction.

Amendment 243 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5b. Calls on the Commission to present a long-term strategy for the functioning and development of beekeeping in the EU;

Amendment 244 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Marijana PETIR, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
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 245 #

Herbert DORFMANN

Motion for a resolution
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; underlines the importance of education and further training for beekeepers and the important role played by associations in this context;

Amendment 246 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Considers that it would be wise to s~~hare 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~~et up European beekeeping research projects;

Amendment 247 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Considers that it would be wise to broaden and share beekeeping research topics and the findings which result, along the lines of the Apitherapy project consortium – particularly where these are financed by the EU – among the Member States in order to avoid duplication;

Amendment 248 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Mairead McGUINNESS, Peter JAHR, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV, Michel DANTIN

Motion for a resolution
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 249 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Urges the European Commission and the member states to launch a network of institutes and other scientific and academic establishments, which deal with bees, their lives and products of activities for faster, smoother and more effective exchange of information on bee- related topics;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas the national programmes for the apiculture sector have a positive effect, but there are some problems in their national application and they do not always enjoy the full confidence of the sector;

Amendment 250 #

Paolo DE CASTRO, Herbert DORFMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Calls on the Commission to support the planting of plant varieties with high nectar and pollen producing capacity during the flowering period, on the basis of their significant environmental role;

Amendment 251 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Believes that beekeeping matters should be analysed horizontally, taking into consideration animal health, agricultural policy, pesticide authorisation policy and research.

Amendment 252 #

Peter JAHR, Herbert DORFMANN, Annie SCHREIJER-PIERIK, Norbert LINS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Proposes to the Commission, with a view to facilitating specific knowledge transfer in beekeeping, that it give encouragement for an international beekeeping college to be set up in Slovenia;

Amendment 253 #

Motion for a resolution
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 EU; calls on the Member States to introduce appropriate training programmes for beekeepers;

Amendment 254 #

7. Calls on the Commission to adopt recommendations in order to introduce a uniform, high-quality basic and vocational beekeeping education programme in the EU, as well as programmes to encourage young people to enter the beekeeping profession;

Amendment 255 #

Motion for a resolution
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 EU;, given the pressing need for generational renewal in the sector.

Amendment 256 #

Motion for a resolution
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 EU~~work with the sector to develop a code of best practice in beekeeping, supported via access at Member State level to high- quality training;

Amendment 257 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Edouard FERRAND, Angelo CIOCCA, Laurenţiu REBEGA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Calls on the Commission to adopt recommendations in order to introduce a uniform, high-quality basic and vocational beekeeping education programme, as well as beekeeping training, in the EU;

Amendment 258 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Calls on the Commission to re- think, as it draws up the new CAP, its objectives in terms of increasing productivity in order to avoid excessive use of treatments which are deadly for bees and to guarantee them a healthy living space;

Amendment 259 #

Paolo DE CASTRO, Herbert DORFMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Considers that the creation of centres devoted to the breeding and safeguard of native bee species, and in particular of the most noble subspecies such as the Apis mellifera ligustica, should be further promoted;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas the principal concerns of beekeepers relate to the level of bee mortality, which now exceeds 50% in certain Member States;

Amendment 260 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Edouard FERRAND, Angelo CIOCCA, Laurenţiu REBEGA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Calls on the Commission to allocate public funds for research and to promote university studies in the framework of university departments such as veterinary medicine and biology;

Amendment 261 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. Calls on the Commission to promote ‘managed pollination’ in order to encourage beekeepers and farmers to work in harmony and thus improve crop yields;

Amendment 262 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Paolo DE CASTRO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

~~8. Considers that beekeepers should be granted tax relief in every Member State in view of the agricultural and environmental significance of their work;~~deleted

Amendment 263 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Considers that beekeepers should be granted tax relief in every Member State in view of the agricultural and environmental significance of their work; urges the member states to cut the unnecessary red-tape, which will save time, efforts and financial resources from the beekeepers;

Amendment 264 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Considers that beekeepers should be granted tax relief in every Member State in view of the agricultural and environmental significance of their work; and that red tape should be simplified for those who wish to undertake this activity;

Amendment 265 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Considers that beekeepers producing honey for self-consumption should be granted tax relief in every Member State in view of the agricultural and environmental significance of their work;

Amendment 266 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. ~~Consider~~Notes that beekeepers should be granted tax relief in every Member State in view of the agricultural and environmental significance of their work;

Amendment 267 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Paolo DE CASTRO, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Calls on the Commission to ensure public management of the invasive alien species Vespa velutina, and asks that beekeepers should not be left to shoulder this responsibility and that specific support be introduced to compensate for all losses caused to beekeepers by this alien species;

Amendment 268 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Paolo DE CASTRO, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. calls on the beekeepers for an active dialogue with the competent authorities for a more effective application of the national programmes for the apiculture programmes with the aim of improving them and correcting any occurring problems;

Amendment 269 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8b. calls on the European Commission and the member states to increase awareness among the stakeholders in the sector about the advantages of introducing new technologies, which are not harmful to the bees, with the aim of risk and loss management;

Amendment 27 #

Michel DANTIN, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

~~D. whereas during this period the bee population rose by 47.8 % but EU funding increased by just 12 %, so that the available EU funding is not sufficient to maintain the bee population;~~deleted

Amendment 270 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

~~9. Calls on the Member States to relax the strict road transport rules for beekeepers, particularly by exempting them from tachograph use beyond 100 km, in order to promote bee colony migration;~~deleted

Amendment 271 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

Amendment 272 #

Michel DANTIN, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

Amendment 273 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls on the Commission to launch a study on the feasibility of a beekeeping risk management fund within national beekeeping programmes to deal with loss of production suffered by professional beekeepers in the form of an allowance calculated according to the Olympic average of the turnover of the businesses affected;

Amendment 274 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Underlines that in several Member States insurance companies refuse to insure bee colonies and that bee keepers have difficulties in using the risk management tools from the Pillar II of the CAP. Therefore, calls on the Commission and the Member States to facilitate the access of bee keepers to private insurance and risk management tools.

Amendment 275 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Believes that expenditure for the purchase of beekeeping equipment, which is eligible and co-financed under the individual national beekeeping programmes, should be recognised over the entire three-year programming period and not just in the programme year in which the expenditure was incurred;

Amendment 276 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Reaffirms its support for the pilot project launched by Parliament aimed at restructuring the beekeeping sector and at the breeding and selection programme for research into Varroa resistance, which should be implemented soon.

Amendment 277 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls on the Commission to promote harmonisation between the laws of the Member States concerning organic honey production, to overcome any discrepancies that prevent European organic beekeepers from having access to the market under the same rules;

Amendment 278 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. underlines the advantages of well prepared and informed beekeepers and encourages the member states to consider a compulsory prerequisite and not an additional advantage for taking part in the national programmes for the apiculture sector;

Amendment 279 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Edouard FERRAND, Angelo CIOCCA, Laurenţiu REBEGA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Believes that companies importing foreign honey as well as retailers should conform to European rules and should sell only beekeeping products which satisfy the definition of honey as set out in the Codex Alimentarius;

Amendment 28 #

Marijana PETIR, Annie SCHREIJER-PIERIK

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas during this period, the ~~bee population rose by 47.8% but EU funding increased by just 12%, so that the available EU funding is not sufficient to maintain the bee population~~accession of new Member States and the procedure for bee colony declaration (taking into account the period of the year when beekeepers have the most bees) have led to an increase in the population of bees within the Union; whereas EU funds have only grown by 12 %, funds that are unable to meet the needs of certain Member States suffering severe deaths in terms of colony renewal;

Amendment 280 #

Motion for a resolution
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 281 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls for an assessment of the EU market for bee feeds, supplements and medicines to be carried out, and for necessary measures to be taken to streamline it and to prevent counterfeiting and illegal trading in those products;

Amendment 282 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to encourage locally- developed practices aimed at preserving bees.

Amendment 283 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9b. Calls on the Commission to propose a change to the timing of the programme year, for the purposes of the national beekeeping programmes, whereby the year-end would be put back until later (30 October), bearing in mind that under the regulation currently in force, the programme year ends on 31 July, a date which falls during the height of the beekeeping season in some Member States, making it an unsuitable point in time, especially for applied research into bees;

Amendment 284 #

Michel DANTIN, Mairead McGUINNESS, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Frédérique RIES

9b. Calls on the Commission and Member States to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and innovation between bee-keepers from different Member States. The Erasmus programme could be a successful example to be followed.

Amendment 285 #

Motion for a resolution
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 286 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)

9c. Points to the need for appropriate financial incentives for organic beekeepers, given the stringent requirements that organic beekeepers have to meet and the growing impacts stemming from the environment;

Amendment 287 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 d (new)

9d. Calls on the Commission to draw up manufacturing standards for comb foundations, which should include the proportion of paraffin, the proportion of foulbrood spores, and the proportion of acaricide residues, with the proviso that the acaricide residue content of wax to be made into foundations must not be such that residues could start passing into the honey;

Amendment 288 #

Maria NOICHL, Nicola CAPUTO, Momchil NEKOV, Marc TARABELLA, Jean-Paul DENANOT

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3 a (new)

underlines that bee health is based on a substantial diversity of pollen and a wide variety of nourishment of the surroundings of bees; points out that monocultural farming does not provide this necessity and therefore stands for a loss of food habitats for bees;

Amendment 289 #

The state of foraging grounds for bees

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas during this period the ~~bee population rose by 47.8% but EU funding increased by just 12%, so that the available EU funding is not sufficient to maintain the bee population~~number of domesticated honey bee hives accounted for rose due to the accession of new Member States and the procedure for honey bee colony declaration, which takes into account the period of the year when beekeepers have the most bees or colonies;

Amendment 290 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

Amendment 291 #

Motion for a resolution
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 s~~Recognises the impact of environmental degradation on bee health, linked in particular to the presence of chemicals dangerious ~~harm to beekeepers and widespread destruction among bee~~to pollinators;

Amendment 292 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Frédérique RIES, Angélique DELAHAYE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Uunderstands 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; underlines the state of environmental degradation of bees, linked in particular to the presence of dangerous chemicals to pollinators; calls on the EU to draw conclusions from the scientific consensus now established on the role of neonicotinoids in bee health and to formally adopt the guidance for assessing the impact of plant protection products on bees, which alone can determine the acceptability of the risk required by Regulation 1107/2009';

Amendment 293 #

Motion for a resolution
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 294 #

Herbert DORFMANN

Motion for a resolution
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; points out that the spread of brown bears in Europe is posing new challenges for beekeepers, and calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop appropriate ways of addressing this, including in particular through compensation for damage caused;

Amendment 295 #

Mairead McGUINNESS, Michel DANTIN, Norbert ERDŐS, Angélique DELAHAYE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Understands that worsening environmental conditions, due to the growing impact of human activity, the spread of intensive farming, the increasing use of plant protection products, and climate change, in addition to the arrival of 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~~ widespread destruction among bees and a drastic reduction in their numbeers;

Amendment 296 #

Motion for a resolution
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 297 #

Motion for a resolution
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 also causing serious economic harm to beekeepers and widespread destruction among bees; considers however that these should be seen in context, as other factors pose a greater risk;

Amendment 298 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Understands that some invasive alien species such as the Varroa destructor, the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida), the Asian hornet (a species that is extremely aggressive towards other insects) and American foulbrood are causing serious harm to beekeepers and widespread destruction among bees;

Amendment 299 #

Ulrike MÜLLER, Hilde VAUTMANS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Stresses the importance of adequately and effectively supporting – including financially – research activities aimed at finding ways of defending bee populations from attack by and competition from invasive alien species and of disseminating the findings, methodologies and techniques that can help counter these problems;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the beekeeping sector is an integral part of European agriculture, ~~providing~~notes that over 50620 000 EU1a citizens ~~with their main income or additional earnings;~~ are beekeepers, but only few make a living out of it; _________________ 1a https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/honey_en

Amendment 30 #

Annie SCHREIJER-PIERIK, Karl-Heinz FLORENZ, Norbert ERDŐS, Peter JAHR, Michel DANTIN, Tom VANDENKENDELAERE

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas during this period, the accession of new Member States and the procedure for declaring bee colonies (taking the period of the year in which beekeepers have most bees) have meant that the bee population in the Union has increased; whereas EU funds have grown by only 12 % and cannot meet the needs in terms of the renewal of colonies in certain Member States that are experiencing serious mortality;

Amendment 300 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to support applied research into the breeding of Varroa resistant honey bee-stocks possessing the behavioural trait of Varroa sensitive hygiene (VSH), in order to ensure optimal use of VSH knowledge and resources and to integrate and exchange materials, techniques and methods at an European scale and level;

Amendment 301 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Recognises that a bee's resistance is considerably weakened by cumulative chemical exposure, leaving them unable to deal with stressors such as wet years, a lack of nectar, diseases or parasites, based on independent peer-reviewed scientific evidence

Amendment 302 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Recognises the state of environmental degradation affecting bees, linked in particular to the presence of chemical substances that are hazardous for pollinators;

Amendment 303 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)

10b. Calls on the Commission and Member States to draw conclusions from the scientific consensus that has already been reached on the role of neonicotinoids in bee health and calls on the Commission to take this into account;

Amendment 304 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)

10b. Notes that a healthy bee is better placed to withstand parasitism, disease and predation; Notes further that parasitism is never the primary cause of death, as parasites have an interest in keeping a host alive;

Amendment 305 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)

10c. Calls on the Commission and Member States to draw conclusions from the scientific consensus now established on the role of neonicotinoids and other systemic insecticides in bee health, and calls on the Commission to take appropriate measures accordingly;

Amendment 306 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)

10c. Calls on the EU to formally adopt the guidelines for assessing the impact of plant protection products on bees, which are the only ones that can serve to determine the acceptability of the risk as required by Regulation 1107/2009;

Amendment 307 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 d (new)

10d. 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;

Amendment 308 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 d (new)

10d. Calls on the EU to formally adopt the guidelines for assessing the impact of plant protection products on bees, which alone can determine the level of 'acceptable risk' required by Regulation 1107/2009.

Amendment 309 #

Ulrike MÜLLER, Hilde VAUTMANS, Ivan JAKOVČIĆ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Calls on the Commission to involve all relevant drug producers in research into bee drugs and to set up a common IT platform to share best solutions and drugs with interested parties, to improve the availability of veterinary products vital to beekeeping and to strengthen the role of veterinarians in managing bee health;

Amendment 31 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA, Mairead McGUINNESS, Peter JAHR, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV, Michel DANTIN

Motion for a resolution
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 310 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Calls on the Commission to involve all relevant ~~drug~~medicament producers in research into bee ~~drug~~medicaments and to set up a common IT platform to share best solutions and ~~drugs~~medicine with interested parties; and calls for research on biological and physical alternative methods f.e. formic acid;

Amendment 311 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Calls on the Commission to ~~involve all relevant drug producers in research into bee drugs and to set up a common IT platform to share best solutions and drugs with interested parties;~~boost research possibilities aimed at solving the problem of parasites and bee diseases and to supplement these with a common IT platform to share best practices and make people aware of the available solutions.

Amendment 312 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Nathalie GRIESBECK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Calls on the Commission to ~~involve all relevant drug producers in research into bee drugs and to set up a common IT platform to share best solutions and drugs with interested parties~~ensure that public research is conducted to guarantee products for the treatment of bee diseases that are as innocuous as possible and that do not leave any residues in the honey that may affect health;

Amendment 313 #

Motion for a resolution
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 314 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Calls on Member States to provide financial support for the research, development and field testing of new bee- health medicines, taking account of the high costs of these veterinary drugs in comparison with those in other livestock sectors; highlights, moreover, the need to offer the pharmaceutical industry greater incentives in order to develop new medicinal products to combat bee mortality;

Amendment 315 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Draws attention to the gradual disappearance of valuable bee fodder plants – such as cornflowers, vetches, thistles or white clover – caused by the intensive chemical protection of cereals, the decrease in the use of grassland for grazing and the increase in its use for hay production; points out that this results in a lack of pollen and thus causes malnutrition in bees, which is one of the causes of the decline in bee health and their increased susceptibility to pathogens;

Amendment 316 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. In view of the risk that some invasive alien species such as the Varroa destructor are able to develop resistance to some VMPs, encourages the Member States to perform annual test of the level of mite’s resistance to the different active substances used in the VMP’s;

Amendment 317 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Calls for research to be launched into the impact of the drugs used to treat varroa and other diseases affecting bees’ immune system, along the lines being proposed by some researchers;

Amendment 318 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Calls on the Commission to stimulate research and innovation in the apiculture sector in order to develop innovative medicines for the specific bee diseases and innovative ways of honey production.

Amendment 319 #

11a. Recognises the importance of natural substances for the control of varroosis, out of which three substances have become the basis for organic treatments: formic acid, oxalic acid and thymol;

Amendment 32 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA, Mairead McGUINNESS, Marijana PETIR

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas the increase in urban beekeeping in recent years reflects a growing interest in this activity and it is accordingly necessary to raise public awareness of the benefits of honey as part of our daily diet;

Amendment 320 #

Motion for a resolution
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 321 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11b. Emphasises that natural compounds have many advantages, such as high efficiency against varroa, low risk of residues in bee products and low resistance against these substances after repeated treatments compared to synthetic compounds, therefore further education in use of these compounds in beekeeping, as well as research and knowledge in this field is needed;

Amendment 322 #

Mairead McGUINNESS, Michel DANTIN, Norbert ERDŐS, Angélique DELAHAYE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)

11c. Calls on the Commission and Member States to increase the financial and other means of support for research in the mode of action of natural substances for the control of varoosis as that would further develop the application of these substances and increase the efficiency and reliability of such treatments;

Amendment 323 #

Motion for a resolution
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 324 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Stresses the importance of greater cooperation between beekeepers, farmers, industry, the authorities and scientists in order to investigate the causes of increased bee mortality and, to that end, supports the establishment of an EU reference laboratory (EURL) for bees, thereby improving coordination between Member States, also in order to identify standard bee welfare criteria;

Amendment 325 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Calls on the Commission to put in place tools to bolster the fight against bee diseases, introduce monitoring of domestic bee mortality, identify and evaluate the risks linked to plant protection products, and avert the risks linked to the introduction of invasive species.

Amendment 326 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Member States and the regions to ~~use all means possible to protect local and regional bee varieties from the undesirable spread of naturalised or invasive alien varieties in the EU~~promote breeding strategies to increase the frequencies of valuable traits in local honeybee populations, considering the variable need of both common and endangered subspecies and local beekeeping practices;

Amendment 327 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Member States and the regions to use all means possible to protect local and regional bee varieties from the undesirable spread of naturalised or invasive alien varieties in the EU; notes the possibilities provided for under the Regulation 1143/2014 on Invasive Alien Species, as well as potentially under the recently adopted Animal and Plant Health regulations (Reg.s 429/2016 and 2031/2016 respectively)

Amendment 328 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Member States and the regions to use all means possible to protect local and regional bee varieties from the undesirable spread of naturalised or invasive alien varieties in the EU, making a specific line of support available to repopulate hives lost as a result of Vespa velutina with bees of local native varieties;

Amendment 329 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Member States and the regions to use all means possible to protect local and regional bee varieties from the undesirable spread of naturalised or invasive alien varieties in the EU; In this regard, encourages professional education in veterinary medicine universities in order to strengthen the veterinary control;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas EU funding increased by just 12%, with the consequence that the available EU funding is not sufficient to maintain the bee population, and further is unable to meet the needs of certain Member States suffering high mortality rates in terms of colony renewal;

Amendment 330 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Marijana PETIR, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Member States and the regions to use all means possible to protect local and regional bee ~~variet~~species 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 331 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Member States and the regions to use all means possible to protect all local and regional ~~bee varieties~~strains of Apis mellifera bees present in Europe from the undesirable spread of naturalised or invasive alien ~~variet~~species in the EU;

Amendment 332 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Calls on the Member States and the regions to use all means possible to protect ~~local and regional bee varieti~~Apis mellifera bees from the undesirable spread of naturalised or invasive alien ~~variet~~species in the EU;

Amendment 333 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Appreciates the extraordinary genetic heritage and the diversity of bee populations, which render them able to adapt to the peculiarities of any ecosystem and to the local conditions of any region; emphasises the need to maintain this genetic heritage, whose diversity is important in the fight against invasive species and diseases and which will have a long-term impact on maintaining bee populations.

Amendment 334 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Stresses the importance of preserving the variety of the bee gene pool, which is a vital resource in order to ensure that bee populations are able to adapt to any environmental changes and threats to their health;

Amendment 335 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Mairead McGUINNESS, Vladimir URUTCHEV, Michel DANTIN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Urges the Commission and Member States to facilitate negotiations between beekeepers and farmers, with the participation of environmental specialists, to assess the merits of introducing new farming technologies that are not harmful to bees;

Amendment 336 #

Motion for a resolution
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 337 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Mairead McGUINNESS, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Stresses the importance of biodiversity for the health and well-being of bees, and thus its positive impact on the natural environment and agricultural production;

Amendment 338 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

13b. Recalls the right of the Member States to set up protected areas for each honey-producing strain of the Apis mellifera bee, which is present in Europe, in connection with the UN’s 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity.

Amendment 339 #

Motion for a resolution
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 34 #

Paolo DE CASTRO, Herbert DORFMANN

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas a progressive loss of production has been registered over the last decade, despite the efforts of beekeepers to maintain and increase the number of hives;

Amendment 340 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Calls on the European Food Safety Authority to ~~carry out~~pursue its toxicological research (laboratory analyses and field experiments), according to a clearly- determined schedule and together with the other EU agencies concerned, into ~~all~~ substances ~~and other factors which endanger bee health;~~ likely to endanger bee health and to recommend that they be banned if they are found to be toxic; calls at the same time for alternative products or methods to be found to replace these substances which pose a risk to bees.

Amendment 341 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Calls on the European Food Safety Authority to carry out research (laboratory analyses and field experiments) in shortest terms and preferably before the end of 2018, according to a clearly-determined schedule and together with the other EU agencies concerned, into all substances, particularly those, which are used in the plant-protection, such as neonicotinoids, and other factors which endanger bee health;

Amendment 342 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Calls on the ~~European Food Safety Authority to carry out~~Commission to undertake increased research (laboratory analyses and field experiments), ~~according to a clearly-determined schedule and together with the other EU agencies concerned, into all~~into all practices, substances and other factors which endanger bee health;

Amendment 343 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the Commission to increase the level of support for research into bee health and to focus the research on technological developments, on disease prevention and control (in particular the impact of environmental factors on the immune systems of bee colonies and their interactions with diseases), on developing sustainable farming practices, promoting non-chemical alternatives (i.e. agronomic prevention practices such as crop rotation and the use of biological control) and, in general, further encouraging integrated pest management techniques and the development of veterinary medical products to combat current EU bee pathogens, especially the Varroa destructor mite, which is the main pathogen and which, given its great ability to develop resistance, requires a wider variety of active substances to combat it, as well as to combat endoparasites and other opportunistic diseases;

Amendment 344 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14а. Notes that the imposition of a monocultural model of agriculture is apparent in the EU, with the effect of disrupting biodiversity and limiting the quality of foraging grounds for bees; calls on the Member States, in cooperation with beekeepers and their associations and with agricultural producers, to develop, by the end of 2018, strategies for sowing a minimum percentage of land with a mix of nectiferous plants; calls for the sowing of nectiferous vegetation on less productive and/or unused land;

Amendment 345 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Emphasises the importance, in agricultural landscapes and in settled areas, of open areas of land that exist of themselves, being neither cultivated nor designated for protection – for example, verges, motorway and railway embankments, roadside banks, public land in towns and villages and the banks of waterways; notes that such areas are very important for honey bees and wild bees and that they must therefore be recognised and safeguarded;

Amendment 346 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the Commission to ensure the consistent implementation of rules prohibiting of use of pesticides harmful to bees and other pollinating insects in all Member States, restricting exemptions to emergency situations that have been duly substantiated and not allowing such exemptions to be repeated if no meaningful action is taken to deal with such situations;

Amendment 347 #

Peter JAHR, Norbert LINS, Annie SCHREIJER-PIERIK, Mairead McGUINNESS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

Amendment 348 #

Motion for a resolution
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 349 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV

Motion for a resolution
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 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. Whereas this situation should not conceal one of the major concerns of the beekeeping industry, whose livestock mortality has reached, in some countries, levels above 50%;

Amendment 350 #

Mairead McGUINNESS, Angélique DELAHAYE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Underlines the extraordinary genetic heritage, diversity and capacity for adaptation of local, endemic honeybee populations, each tailored over generations to the particularities of their local environment, and insists upon the need to protect this vital genetic patrimony;

Amendment 351 #

Motion for a resolution
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 352 #

Marijana PETIR, Annie SCHREIJER-PIERIK, Norbert ERDŐS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to regulate the single market in bee health medicines in such a way as to ensure that where a medicine may be used to treat bees in one Member State, beekeepers will be able to buy that medicine in other Member States;

Amendment 353 #

Motion for a resolution
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 354 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Stresses the importance of bees as indicators of environmental health and acknowledges that action to protect bees and action to protect the environment often coincide and can only be taken in parallel;

Amendment 355 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Stresses the importance of comprehensive and concerted medical efforts following the discovery of diseases or pathogens affecting bees, in order to prevent its spread;

Amendment 356 #

Maria NOICHL, Nicola CAPUTO, Momchil NEKOV, Marc TARABELLA, Jean-Paul DENANOT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Urges the Commission and Member States to prohibit the use of pesticides which are harmful for bees, as for instance neonicotinoids like imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and clothianidin;

Amendment 357 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the Commission to impose a total ban on neonicotinoids and to review authorisations for other hazardous insecticides such as deltametrin, cypermethrin and chlorpyrifos;

Amendment 358 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the European Food Safety Authority to draw up an international inventory to evaluate the emerging health risks in beekeeping.

Amendment 359 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the Member States to impose a Europe-wide ban on all neonicotinoid pesticides, which are largely responsible for the decline in bee populations.

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)

Db. Whereas the statistical increase in honey bee populations in the EU since the end of the 1990s should not disguise the fact that professionals in the sector are facing a loss of honey productivity in their hives and that they must increase their colony stock in order to produce equivalent quantities of honey;

Amendment 360 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the European Food Safety Authority to draw up an international inventory to evaluate the emerging health risks in beekeeping.

Amendment 361 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the Member States to support the implementation of agri- environmental measures that support the establishment of bee colonies;

Amendment 362 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to support the planting of plant varieties on the basis of their proven nectariferous and polliniferous capacities during their flowering period, and of the length of their flowering period, and not on the basis of historical or theoretical interest for pollinating insects;

Amendment 363 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Reiterates concerns that increased mortality among honeybees and wild pollinators in Europe will, if left unchecked, have a profound negative impact on agriculture, food production and security, biodiversity, environmental sustainability and ecosystems;

Amendment 364 #

14b. Calls on the Commission to draw up guidelines to limit the use of substances that are harmful to bees, especially close to colonies, and if necessary even to provide for buffer zones beyond the limit of which they may not be used;

Amendment 365 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Underlines the importance of genetic diversity in honeybee sub-species and the need to protect local ecotypes in order to facilitate resistance to invasive species and diseases and thus ensure the long-term sustainability of European honeybee populations;

Amendment 366 #

Maria NOICHL, Nicola CAPUTO, Momchil NEKOV, Marc TARABELLA, Jean-Paul DENANOT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Underlines that it is of utmost importance to improve the living and feeding conditions for all wild and endangered animals and plants in the agricultural landscape and to preserve and improve biodiversity;

Amendment 367 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Calls on the Member States to adopt cultivation and greening policies beneficial to bees and other pollinators by providing them with the necessary nutrients;

Amendment 368 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Calls on the Member States to adopt cultivation and greening policies beneficial to bees and other pollinators by providing them with the necessary nutrients;

Amendment 369 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Mairead McGUINNESS, Peter JAHR, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV

Motion for a resolution
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 37 #

Mairead McGUINNESS, Norbert ERDŐS, Angélique DELAHAYE

Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)

Db. Whereas the statistical increase in honey bee populations in the EU since the end of the 1990s should not disguise the fact that professionals in the sector are facing a loss of honey productivity in their hives, and that they must increase their colony stock in order to produce equivalent quantities of honey;

Amendment 370 #

Motion for a resolution
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 371 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Calls on the Commission to select an independent research institute, chosen by a tendering procedure, to develop sustainable new and effective bee treatment remedies;

Amendment 372 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Calls on the Member States to support the implementation of agri- environmental measures if these measures provide for the setting-up of bee colonies;

Amendment 373 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Calls on the Member States to draw up strategies for the territorial distribution of insect-friendly plant species at risk of extinction;

Amendment 374 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)

14c. Calls for support for training programmes for beekeepers on disease prevention and control, as well as for farmers and foresters on botanical knowledge, bee-friendly use of plant protection products, the impact of pesticides and non-chemical agronomic practices to prevent the spread of weeds;

Amendment 375 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)

14c. Calls on the Commission and Member States to use bees as indicators of environmental quality and as a tool for assessing the effectiveness of the application of the CAP objectives, notably through the analysis of pollen residues and the botanical diversity of pollen collected from hives and other parent apiaries;

Amendment 376 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)

14c. Considers that the various ecotypes of the native honey bee of northern and western Europe, adapted to their different local environments over generations and over millennia, constitute an invaluable genetic resource indispensable for food production for present and future generations which must be safeguarded as a matter of priority;

Amendment 377 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)

14c. Calls on seed breeders to promote quality plant breeding schemes, including melliferous or polliniferous capacity in the selection criteria; Calls for selection criteria to include preference for a maximum biological diversity of locally- adapted and locally-sourced species and varieties;

Amendment 378 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)

14c. Calls on the Commission, in cooperation with the Member States, to come up with a recommended level for the maximum number of bee colonies on a given area of land, as a means of tackling the location of too many apiaries in particular regions, which results in bees competing for and having difficulty in finding foraging grounds;

Amendment 379 #

Motion for a resolution
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 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)

Db. whereas this situation should not obscure one of the main concerns of the beekeeping sector, where mortality has reached levels above 50 % in some countries;

Amendment 380 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)

14c. Calls for the introduction of a compensation scheme for bee family mortalities resulting from natural disasters or diseases;

Amendment 381 #

Maria NOICHL, Nicola CAPUTO, Momchil NEKOV, Marc TARABELLA, Jean-Paul DENANOT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)

14c. Underlines that the best protection of bees is to preserve abiotic resources, in particular soil and waters;

Amendment 382 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)

14d. Points out that the number of bee species is drastically declining worldwide and that the use of pesticides and GMOs are among the main causes; calls on the Commission to improve risk assessment methodology for pesticides in order to protect colony health and bee population development; calls on the Member States to promote low-pesticide-input pest management and integrated pest management;

Amendment 383 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)

14d. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to use bees as indicators of environmental quality and as an instrument for assessing the effectiveness of the implementation of the CAP objectives, specifically via residue analysis and botanical diversity of pollen sampled in beehives and other beekeeping matrices/ products;

Amendment 384 #

Maria NOICHL, Nicola CAPUTO, Momchil NEKOV, Marc TARABELLA, Jean-Paul DENANOT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)

14d. Urges to improve the protection of natural and semi-natural habitats within and in the surrounding of agricultural landscapes, to increase biodiversity on agricultural land and in particular to ensure the ecological benefits of extensive permanent pastures;

Amendment 385 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)

14d. Calls for the use of environment- friendly pesticides that are not harmful to bees and other natural pollinators to be encouraged, for example through the introduction of appropriate compulsory labelling of pesticides;

Amendment 386 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)

14d. Insists that all efforts at EU, Member State, regional and local level to support the apiculture sector necessarily require parallel efforts to protect local honey bee populations;

Amendment 387 #

Maria NOICHL, Nicola CAPUTO, Momchil NEKOV, Marc TARABELLA, Jean-Paul DENANOT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 e (new)

14e. Urges to protect basic ecosystem services of pollination by relying on current scientific knowledge regarding the damage and susceptibility of honey bees as well as on the precautionary principle; urges that protective measures should be extended to wild pollinators, as these play a crucial role with regard to pollination services;

Amendment 388 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 e (new)

14e. Urges the Commission to progress in implementing the pilot projects on bees and other pollinators as indicators of environmental and habitat health, as these might prove useful for development of future policy;

Amendment 389 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 e (new)

14e. Recalls the legal duty of Member States within the original natural range of apis melifera melifera to preserve or establish protection areas for their native honey bees, in accordance with the 1992 UN Convention on Biological Diversity;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)

Dc. whereas the statistical increase in honeybee populations in the EU since the end of the 1990s should not disguise the fact that professionals in the sector are facing a loss of honey productivity in their hives and are having to increase their colony populations in order to produce equivalent amounts of honey;

Amendment 390 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 e (new)

14e. Calls for the development of compulsory training modules, for agricultural producers engaged in the cultivation of land, on the importance of bees as pollinators and how to protect them from being poisoned by pesticides;

Amendment 391 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 f (new)

14f. Notes that the simplest way to improve bee health and reduce mortality is to cut exposure to products that increase bee mortality, whilst other factors impacting bees, like climate change, food availability, the dominant intensive agricultural model, parasites and predators, are much more difficult, time-consuming and complex to resolve

Amendment 392 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 f (new)

14f. Calls on the European Commission and Member States to put in place measures to increase legal protection and financial support for local honey bee ecotypes and populations throughout the European Union, including by way of legally protected locally endemic honeybee conservation areas;

Amendment 393 #

Maria NOICHL, Nicola CAPUTO, Momchil NEKOV, Marc TARABELLA, Jean-Paul DENANOT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 f (new)

14f. Urges the Commission to collect analyses on the threat for wild bees in the EU and to develop strategies in order to stop the decimation of wild bees;

Amendment 394 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 g (new)

14g. - Calls on the European Commission to propose legislation banning the production, sale and use of all neonicotinoid-based pesticides throughout the European Union without derogation and as a matter of priority in order to protect honey bee populations;

Amendment 395 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 g (new)

14g. Calls for more funding and support in the next Common Agricultural Policy for research into the mode of action of organic acids in order to optimize their application as well as for Varroa sensitive hygiene breeding programmes;

Amendment 396 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Expects the Member States and the Commission to force honey-producers in non-EU countries who use dishonest methods and EU packagers and traders who wilfully mix adulterated, imported honey with high-quality European honey to comply with EU law, or to penalise them;

Amendment 397 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

Amendment 398 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. ~~Expect~~Asks the Member States and the Commission to force honey-producers in non-EU countries who use dishonest methods and EU packagers and traders who wilfully mix adulterated, imported honey with high-quality European honey to comply with EU law;

Amendment 399 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Calls on the Commission to lay down NAL protocols (no-action levels), reference points for action (RPAs), or maximum residue limits (MRLs) for honey and other bee-keeping products, in order to cover substances that cannot be authorised for the European bee-keeping sector, and to harmonise border veterinary inspections and internal market checks, bearing in mind that, as far as honey is concerned, low-quality imports, adulteration, and substitutes distort the market and are continuing to exert pressure on prices and, ultimately, product quality within the EU's internal market, and that there has to be a level playing field for products/producers from the EU and from non-EU countries;points out that maximum residue limits should be based on the residues resulting from good veterinary practice;

Amendment 4 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the beekeeping sector is an integral part of European agriculture, providing over 500 000 EU citizens with their main income or additional earnings; whereas beekeeping is practiced also as a hobby or for production of honey for own consumption;

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)

Dc. Whereas this situation should not conceal one of the major concerns of the beekeeping industry, namely that livestock mortality has, in some countries, reached levels greater than 50%;

Amendment 400 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Calls on the Commission to develop effective laboratory analysis procedures (e.g. nuclear magnetic resonance testing, detecting bee-specific peptides and other bee-specific markers) which can be used to detect the increasingly sophisticated adulterations in order to detect instances of honey adulteration;

Amendment 401 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Edouard FERRAND, Angelo CIOCCA, Laurenţiu REBEGA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Calls on the Commission to develop effective laboratory analysis procedures (e.g. nuclear magnetic resonance testing) which can be used to detect the increasingly sophisticated adulterations in order to detect instances of honey adulteration and to impose harsher penalties on offenders;

Amendment 402 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

Amendment 403 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16 a. invites the Commission to include private internationally recognized laboratories, such as the French EUROFINS or the German QSI to this activity, in order to carry out the most sophisticated examinations;

Amendment 404 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Calls on the Commission to develop an official data base of honeys to categorise their origin using a common method of analysis.

Amendment 405 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)

16b. Urges the Commission to ensure greater harmonisation by introducing common and binding specifications for honey production so as to facilitate the detection of fraud and guarantee the traceability of honey for consumers.

Amendment 406 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Paolo DE CASTRO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Suggests making honey packaging plants which also process imported honey subject to EU food safety monitoring; this might be achieved by amending Regulation (EC) No 853/2004; specifies, however, that the relevant provisions of food hygiene Reg. 853/2004 apply only to establishments which pack honey that is not directly produced by them; it is important that EU beekeepers packing their own honey should not be faced with further heavy burdens;

Amendment 407 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Suggests making honey packaging plants which also process imported honey subject to EU food safety monitoring; ~~this might be achieved by amending Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;~~

Amendment 408 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. This would ~~enabl~~strengthen the EU monitoring ~~to be~~ applied to honey packagers in non- EU countries, thereby enabling the official auditors to find out if adulterated honey had been used and ensuring its removal from the food chain;

Amendment 409 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Mairead McGUINNESS, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV, Michel DANTIN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

~~19. Expects honey 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;~~deleted

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
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 410 #

Michel DANTIN, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Marijana PETIR, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. ~~Expects honey~~Believes 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 411 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Edouard FERRAND, Angelo CIOCCA, Laurenţiu REBEGA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Expects honey 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; calls in this respect for a tightening-up of the traceability requirement for honey;

Amendment 412 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Expects honey always to be identifiable from the moment ~~it leaves the hive~~of harvesting and to be classifiable according to its plant origin, irrespective of whether it is a domestic or an imported product;

Amendment 413 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Expects honey 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;

Amendment 414 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Expects honey 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;

Amendment 415 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Observes that it is necessary to design a traceability system that is clear enough to identify the origin of honey in drums or in bulk but not excessively burdensome for beekeepers;

Amendment 416 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)

10a. Notes that it is necessary to monitor the geographical origin of honey in order to prevent imported honey being labelled and sold as local honey,special care being taken with regard to supermarkets;

Amendment 417 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. ~~Since monofloral honeys are difficult to determine in the Member States, proposes adding a~~Proposes that the ‘Honey Directive’ (2001/110/EC) be integrated with the definition and main distinctive characteristics of all beekeeping products, including pollen, royal jelly, and beeswax, and with a general description of their characteristics t~~o the ‘Honey Directive’ (2001/110/EC)~~hat make it possible to distinguish and define a monofloral honey, since monofloral honeys are difficult to determine;

Amendment 418 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Calls for the introduction of legal definitions for all apicultural products and their inclusion in EU legislation, which is currently deficient in this respect;

Amendment 419 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Proposes that the Honey Directive (2001/110/EC) be widened to encompass clear definitions of all bee-keeping products, including royal jelly, pollen, and beeswax;

Amendment 42 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
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 and in conjunction and cooperation with farmers;

Amendment 420 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Tibor SZANYI, Paolo DE CASTRO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

~~22. Asks the Commission to put forward a proposal incorporating honey into the scope of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;~~deleted

Amendment 421 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Asks the Commission to put forward a proposal incorporating honey from non-EU countries into the scope of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004;

Amendment 422 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA, Marijana PETIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Calls on the Commission to ban immediately the distribution of resin- filtered honey ~~as soon as possible~~, since such honey contains nothing whatsoever of biological value;

Amendment 423 #

Motion for a resolution
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 424 #

Michel DANTIN, Mairead McGUINNESS, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
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, by means of compulsory and inexpensive analyses, including the dead yeast test, in line with Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 (later Regulation (EU) 2017/625);

Amendment 425 #

Motion for a resolution
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 426 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25a. Calls for the introduction of a system to detect fraud at EU crossing points;

Amendment 427 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Reminds the Commission that consumers have the right to know the place of origin of all foodstuffs; however, the ‘blend of EC honeys’, ‘blend of non-EC honeys’ and especially ‘blend of EC and non-EC honeys’ labelling completely conceals the origin of the honey from the consumer; Calls on the Commission to ensure accurate labeling of honey and honey based products in order to prevent misleading the consumers.

Amendment 428 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Reminds the Commission that consumers have the right to know the place of origin of all foodstuffs; however, the ‘'blend of EC honeys’, ‘blend of non-EC honeys’ and especially ‘blend of EC and non-EC honeys’ labelling completely conceals the origin of the honey from the consumer and consequently fails to fulfil the provisions of EU law;

Amendment 429 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Reminds the Commission that consumers have the right to know the place of origin of all foodstuffs; however, the ‘blend of EC honeys’, ‘blend of non-EC honeys’ and especially ‘blend of EC and non-EC honeys’ labelling completely conceals the origin of the honey from the consumer; while the success of direct sales of honey deems origin labelling rather needless;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas beekeeping has become very complex and sophisticated, as even minor management errors and unfavourable keeping conditions of bees can cause the deaths of bees, despite intensive treatment;

Amendment 430 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Expresses concern that contaminated wax imported from China often can cause health issues for bees;

Amendment 431 #

Michel DANTIN, Mairead McGUINNESS, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Frédérique RIES, Angélique DELAHAYE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Asks that ~~the~~any ‘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 proportions used in the final productbe prohibited;

Amendment 432 #

Motion for a resolution
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 #

Mairead McGUINNESS, Michel DANTIN, Angélique DELAHAYE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Asks that the ‘blend of EC and non- EC honeys’ descriptor be replaced by a~~n 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 434 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
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 proportions used in the final product with percentage numbers for the proportion of honey from every country;

Amendment 435 #

Motion for a resolution
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 436 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Asks that the ‘blend of EC and non- EC honeys’ descriptor on labels be replaced by an indication of exactly which country or countries the honeys used in the final products come from and th~~at these be listed in the order which corresponds to the proportions used~~e proportion from each of those countries, as a percentage, in the final product;

Amendment 437 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Vladimir URUTCHEV

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27a. Calls on the Commission to harmonise labelling rules in line with the regulation on quality schemes for agricultural products and to introduce labelling with mandatory indication of the country of origin for bee-keeping products, whether imported or made in the EU, or, for blends of products of different origins, labelling with mandatory indication of all the countries of origin, specifying the proportions contained;

Amendment 438 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27 a. asks for the Commission to initiate the supplement to the Honey Directive, according to the use of the word "honey" or the terms "containing honey" or "made with honey" in the designation of processed products, or in anygraphic or non-graphic element indicating that the product contains honey, may be used only if at least 50 % of the sugar-content of the product originates from honey;

Amendment 439 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

~~28. Supports the idea of the Member States making it obligatory to indicate the place of origin of the honey on honey and other bee products, as is the case with certain meat and dairy products;~~deleted

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas beekeeping represents a potential source of work and integration in rural areas, since in many European regions access to land is limited;

Amendment 440 #

Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA, Ramón Luis VALCÁRCEL SISO, Gabriel MATO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. ~~Supports the idea of the Member States making it obligatory to indicate the place~~Notes that Directive 2001/110/EC and the 2014 amending Directive require the country of origin ofwhere the honey ~~on honey and other~~has been harvested to bee ~~products, as is the case with certain meat and dairy products~~indicated on the label where the honey originates in one Member State or one third country;

Amendment 441 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Supports the idea of ~~the Member States making it obligatory to~~introducing common EU rules on compulsory labelling indicateing the place of origin of ~~the honey on~~ honey and other bee ~~products, as is the case with certain meat and dairy~~ products;

Amendment 442 #

Michel DANTIN, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Frédérique RIES, Angélique DELAHAYE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)

28a. Requests that the Commission amend the Honey Directive (2001/110/EC) by means of a directive on apiculture products, circumscribing all such products:honey, propolis, royal jelly, beeswax, pollen pellets, bee bread and bee venom, as Parliament has already requested and voted for;

Amendment 443 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)

28 a. Calls on the Commission to revise Directive EC 110/2010, in order to clarify the definition of honey as a product that contains 100% natural honey, produced from pollen.Other blends that contain small percentages of honey should not be sold under the name "honey" because this is misleading the consumers.

Amendment 444 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)

28a. Requests that the Commission amend the Honey Directive 2001/110/EC by means of a directive on apiculture products that circumscribes all such products:honey, propolis, royal jelly, beeswax, pollen pellets, bee bread and bee venom;

Amendment 445 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)

28a. Calls on the Commission also to lay down quality standards for other bee- keeping products, for example pollen, royal jelly, and propolis, just as there are standards applying to honey;

Amendment 446 #

Mairead McGUINNESS, Norbert ERDŐS, Angélique DELAHAYE

Motion for a resolution
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, placing the emphasis on locally made products and on rediscovering long- established production traditions;

Amendment 447 #

Motion for a resolution
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 448 #

Ulrike MÜLLER, Hilde VAUTMANS, Hannu TAKKULA

Motion for a resolution
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~~;

Amendment 449 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)

29 a. Stresses the growing importance of apitherapy as a natural alternative to treatment using conventional medicines;

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)

Eb. whereas this source of work represents an opportunity to encourage young people to settle in these areas;

Amendment 450 #

Ulrike MÜLLER, Hilde VAUTMANS, Frédérique RIES, Hannu TAKKULA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Calls on the Commission to put forward a proposal to increase EU support for these programmes by 50% annually to enable the school programmes to operate effectively and local products such as honey, olives and olive oil to be fully included;deleted

Amendment 451 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

Amendment 452 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Calls on the Commission to put forward a proposal to increase EU support for these programmes by 50% annually to enable the school programmes to operate effectively, preschool competitions to be organised and local products such as honey, olives and olive oil to be fully included;

Amendment 453 #

Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

Amendment 454 #

Mairead McGUINNESS, Michel DANTIN, Norbert ERDŐS, Angélique DELAHAYE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Calls on the Commission to put forward a proposal to increase EU support for these programmes by 50% annually to enable the school programmes to operate effectively and local products ~~such as honey, olives and olive oil~~ to be fully included;

Amendment 455 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Acknowledges the role of consuming locally produced honey as a means to build up resistance to local allergens;

Amendment 456 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)

30a. Stresses that honey is one of the agricultural products that could be distributed as part of the 'School fruit' programme; stresses the importance of compulsory educational measures aimed at raising awareness among young people and introducing them to local products, while opening up the world of farming to children;

Amendment 457 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)

30 a. Encourages Member States to adapt the rules for direct supply of small quantities of honey in order to enhance the participation of local honey producers in the school schemes;

Amendment 458 #

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6

Encouraging honey consumption and promoting honey;encouraging cooperation between beekeepers and farmers;

Amendment 459 #

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6

Encouraging honey consumption and promoting honey;encouraging cooperation between beekeepers and farmers;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas beekeeping also involves other sectors, requiring timber for beehives for example, thereby helping to sustain and promote rural economies;

Amendment 460 #

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6

Encouraging honey consumption ~~and~~, promoting honey and therapeutic use of honey

Amendment 461 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. Calls on the Commission to draw up a report on the amount of honey consumed and consumption patterns in the EU along with a report on the various therapeutic practices employing honey, pollen, royal jelly and bee venom in the EU;

Amendment 462 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. Calls on the Commission to draw up a report on the amount of honey consumed and consumption patterns in all member states of the EU;

Amendment 463 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)

31a. Calls on the Commission to support specific measures to promote the consumption of honey, not least as a substitute for other sweeteners, bearing in mind its health-giving properties;

Amendment 464 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)

31 a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to update and harmonise the organic legislation for beekeeping, so that beekeepers across Europe can have access to the organic market under the same rules.

Amendment 465 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)

31a. Calls on the Member States to promote high-quality products by setting up protection schemes based on registered geographical indications;

Amendment 466 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

~~32. Calls on the Commission to allocate a specific sum from the EU’s promotional budget to advertising EU honey in the internal market;~~deleted

Amendment 467 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

~~32. Calls on the Commission to allocate a specific sum from the EU’s promotional budget to advertising EU honey in the internal market;~~deleted

Amendment 468 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Calls on the Commission to allocate a specific sum from the EU’s promotional budget to advertising EU honey in the internal market and increase its prominence in events/workshops organised in the course of compulsory state education;

Amendment 469 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Calls on the Commission to allocate a specific sum from the EU’s promotional budget to advertising EU honey in the internal market, focusing on measures to promote the direct sale of honey at local markets and short marketing circuits;

Amendment 47 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

~~F. whereas in some Member States the tax laws differentiate between professional and amateur beekeepers, with the latter benefiting from tax relief, although this makes no sense professionally;~~deleted

Amendment 470 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Calls on the Commission to allocate a specific sum from the EU’s promotional budget to advertising EU eating and therapeutic honey in the internal market;

Amendment 471 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Calls on the Commission to allocate a specific sum from the EU’s promotional budget to advertising EU honey production in the internal market;

Amendment 472 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)

32 a. calls on the European Commission to include honey wax as a product, which can be covered by Regulation 1151/2012 because of the growing interest from the consumers and producers, as well as the long traditions in some member states in its production;

Amendment 473 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Mairead McGUINNESS, Vladimir URUTCHEV

Motion for a resolution
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 474 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)

32a. Calls on the Commission to request Member States to organize EU honey tastings in public places in the presence of European beekeepers at the same time of year;

Amendment 475 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Mairead McGUINNESS, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)

32a. Calls for the Horizon2020 and Erasmus+ Programmes to nurture research and training in the field of apitherapy;

Amendment 476 #

Motion for a resolution
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;

Amendment 477 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. Asks the Commission to ensure that ~~the EU declares~~ honey and other bee products ~~to be~~are considered as ‘sensitive products’ in future free trade agreement negotiations where direct competition would expose the EU apiculture sector to excessive or unsustainable pressure;

Amendment 478 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. Asks the Commission to ensure that the EU declares honey and other bee products to be ‘sensitive products’ in free trade agreement negotiations and that they are excluded from the coverage of these agreements;

Amendment 479 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)

3b. Calls on the Commission to support joint programmes for beekeepers and farmers in a bid to find effective ways of providing bees and other pollinators with a secure supply of nourishment by encouraging the cultivation of suitable crops and the adoption of farming practices and technologies conducive to this purpose;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas in some Member States the tax laws differentiate between professional and amateur beekeepers~~, with the latter benefiting from tax relief, although this makes no sense professionally~~;

Amendment 480 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)

33 a. calls on the European commission to consider introduction of the brand "Honey from Europe" for honey, which is produced by 100% honey collected in the member states of the European Union;

Amendment 481 #

Michel DANTIN, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Frédérique RIES, Angélique DELAHAYE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 b (new)

3b. calls on the Commission to support cooperation between beekeepers and farmers to reduce the impact of pesticides on bees;

Amendment 482 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)

34a. Calls on the Commission to propose an incentivising equivalence coefficient for 'apiculture areas' and 'honey fallows' as one of the ecological focus areas that are obligatory for the receipt of greening aid under the common agricultural policy (e.g. a coefficient of 1ha of 'apiculture area' or 'honey fallow' = 2ha of ecological focus area);

Amendment 483 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Edouard FERRAND, Angelo CIOCCA, Laurenţiu REBEGA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)

34a. Calls on the Commission to support joint programmes for beekeepers and farmers in a bid to find effective ways of providing bees and other pollinators with a secure supply of nourishment by encouraging the cultivation of suitable crops and the adoption of farming practices and technologies conducive to this purpose;

Amendment 484 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)

34a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to adapt and harmonise legislation in the field of organic apiculture, so as to ensure that all European beekeepers have equal access to the organic products market;

Amendment 485 #

Ulrike MÜLLER, Hilde VAUTMANS, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 b (new)

3b. calls on the Commission to support cooperation between beekeepers and farmers to reduce the impact of pesticides on bees;

Amendment 486 #

Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 c (new)

3b. Calls on the Commission to request Member States to organize EU honey tastings in public places in the presence of European beekeepers at the same time of year;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas in some Member States the tax laws differentiate between professional and amateur beekeepers, with the latter benefiting from tax relief, although this ~~makes no sense professionally~~kind of differentiation is not beneficial for the overall development of the sector;

Amendment 5 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas increased mortality among honeybees and wild pollinators in Europe is having a profound negative impact on agriculture, food production and security, biodiversity, environmental sustainability and ecosystems;

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas in some Member States the tax laws differentiate between professional and amateur beekeepers, with ~~the latter benefiting from tax relief, although this makes no sense professionally~~varying rules concerning tax relief;

Amendment 51 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Marijana PETIR, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
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 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas ~~some~~there are multiple stress factors causing bee mortality and decline. In order of importance: environmental degradation, the agricultural model and the impact of plant protection products; climate change and the serious consequences caused by invasive alien species such as Varroa destructor, the ~~small hive~~Aethina tumida beetle, the Asian hornet Vespa velutina and American foulbrood ~~are causing widespread destruction in~~; whereas the Ecur~~opean bee popul~~rent situation ~~and~~is causing serious harm to beekeepers;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas ~~some~~multiple stress factors cause bee mortality and decline, including, in order of importance, environmental degradation, the intensive agricultural model (which provides less nectar outside of crop flowering seasons), the impact of plant protection products and other biocides, climate change in particular wet and cold summers, and the serious consequences of invasive alien species such as Varroa destructor, the small hive beetle Aethina tumida, the Asian hornet Vespa vellutina and American foulbrood ~~are causing~~; Whereas there is currently widespread destruction in the European bee population ~~and caus~~, entailing serious economic harm to beekeepers;

Amendment 54 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Edouard FERRAND, Angelo CIOCCA, Laurenţiu REBEGA

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas ~~some invasive alien species such as~~there are multiple stress factors that cause bee mortality and decline. In order of importance: the environmental degradation, the agricultural model and the impact of phytopharmaceuticals; climate change and the serious consequences of invasive alien species, the Varroa destructor, the ~~small hive beetle~~beetle Aethina tumida, the Asian hHornet ~~and~~Vespa vellutina or American foulbrood ~~are causing widespread destruction in the European bee popul~~. The present situation ~~and~~ caus~~ing~~es serious harm to beekeepers;.

Amendment 55 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas some invasive alien species such as Varroa destructor, the small hive beetle, the Asian hornet and American foulbrood are causing widespread destruction in the European bee population and causing serious harm to beekeepersthe decline in the European bee population, the adverse effects of which extend far beyond the beekeeping sector, is mainly due, according to the scientific community, to changes in land use, intensive farming practices and the large-scale use of pesticides, invasive species (e.g. Asian hornet and American foulbrood), the proliferation of parasites including the Varroa destructor, genetic problems, the degeneration of habitats and the disappearance of many species of flowering plant;

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas some invasive alien species such as Varroa destructor, the small hive beetle, the Asian hornet and American foulbrood are causing widespread destruction in the European bee population and causing serious harm to beekeepers; pointing out that movements of bees into and inside the EU are a major factor in the spread of various diseases and invasive species;

Amendment 57 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

Ga. whereas bees, as pollinators, play an important role in our food and agriculture systems and are excellent indicators of the quality of our environment that should sensitise us to agricultural practices which are more natural-resource friendly and which draw directly on the concept of agro-ecology, combining good economic performance and environmental performance to produce more and better;

Amendment 58 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Nathalie GRIESBECK

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas ~~farm~~beekeepers 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 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas ~~farm~~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;~~ and eradication has long been proven to be an impossible goal instead Varroa control is being practiced with adequate success, which could be improved; whereas working methods of Varroa destructor control becomes more and more time and knowledge demanding, as the invention of 100% effective synthetic drug against this mite is very unlikely due to chemical similarity of host and parasite bodies and existing methods lose their effectiveness;

Amendment 6 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas the sector develops and maintains additional activities such as production of materials for example wooden frames, beehives and others, as well as technique, which can also contribute to the development of the local and regional economies;

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas farmers 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; knowing that it is not possible to eliminate the Varroa destructor completely and that a balanced host (bee) to parasite (Varroa destructor) relation through natural selection with co-existence of both must be achieved to prevent even further losses of bees;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas farmers and 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;

Amendment 62 #

Marijana PETIR, Annie SCHREIJER-PIERIK, Norbert ERDŐS

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas ~~farm~~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;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
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 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV

Motion for a resolution
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 65 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Edouard FERRAND, Angelo CIOCCA, Laurenţiu REBEGA

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

Ha. whereas some countries like Switzerland use formic acid as a swift and efficient organic treatment which eliminates the parasite without triggering any mutations;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

Ha. whereas several natural substances have been tested for the control of varroosis, out of which three substances have become the basis for organic treatments: formic acid, oxalic acid and thymol;

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

Ha. whereas beekeepers from Member States are not on an equal footing as regards access to bee treatment medicines;

Amendment 68 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Marijana PETIR

Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)

Hb. whereas natural compounds have many advantages, such as high efficiency against varroa, low risk of residues in bee products and low resistance against these substances after repeated treatments compared to synthetic compounds;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)

Hb. whereas the activities of large farms based on monoculture greatly reduce biodiversity and the amount of green areas used for bee pastures;

Amendment 7 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)

Ab. whereas the apitourism generates greater interest and opportunities among consumers in recent years, which can be further popularised to more stakeholders;

Amendment 70 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Mairead McGUINNESS, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV

Motion for a resolution
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 71 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU

Motion for a resolution
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’ health;~~ and citizens expect the EU to act on the existing scientific consensus on the role of certain chemicals that are dangerous to the health of bees, such as neonicotinoid insecticides as well as other factors mentioned above; whereas a debate about which factor is the most significant is irrelevant, since the factors can act individually and synergistically in combination and progress needs to be made to improve the situation for all factors simultaneously; whereas beekeepers and citizens expect the EU to formally adopt the guidance for assessing the impact of plant protection products on bees, which are the only ones able to determine the acceptability of the risk required by Regulation 1107/2009;

Amendment 72 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Marijana PETIR, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
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’ health~~the 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 73 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Momchil NEKOV, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
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’ health; but whereas researchers and EFSA have already identified the dangers posed to bees by some neonicotinoids whose use, after being suspended, might be definitively banned following their re- evaluation;

Amendment 74 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas beekeepers, agricultural producers and environmentalists also expect ~~there to b~~in shortest terms to achieve a clear scientific consensus on all substances, particularly those for plant-protection, such as the neonicotinoids, and other factors which are a danger to bees’ health;

Amendment 75 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas beekeepers, agricultural producers ~~and~~, environmentalists a~~lso expect there to be a clear scientific consensus on all substances and other factors which are a danger to bees’ health~~nd citizens expect the EU to draw conclusions from the existing scientific consensus on the role of certain chemicals which are a danger to bees’ health, such as neonicotinoids and other systemic insecticides;

Amendment 76 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Edouard FERRAND, Angelo CIOCCA, Laurenţiu REBEGA

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas beekeepers~~, agricultural producers and environmentalists also~~ and citizens expect there EU to ~~be a clear scientific consensus on all substances and other factors which are a danger to bees’ health~~draw conclusions from the scientific consensus that exists on the role of certain chemical substances that are hazardous for bees’ health, such as neonicotinoid insecticides;

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
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 arcould be a danger to bees’ health;

Amendment 78 #

Michel DANTIN, Mairead McGUINNESS, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Marijana PETIR, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
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 79 #

James NICHOLSON, Albert DESS, John PROCTER

Motion for a resolution
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 8 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)

Ac. whereas pollination is the primary purpose of the bees, while production of honey, honey wax and other products is a secondary product from the activities of the bees; whereas the agriculture in the EU can be characterised as monocultural or with a limited plant variety;

Amendment 80 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas beekeepers and citizens expect the EU to formally adopt the guidelines for assessing the impact of plant protection products on bees, since these are the only ones that are suitable for determining the acceptability of the risk as required by Regulation 1107/2009;

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas the practice of so-called nomadic farming has many positive aspects but also a number of critical ones, in particular regarding compliance with the rules to prevent hazardous situations from spreading; whereas, therefore, more careful monitoring needs to take place;

Amendment 82 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Peter JAHR, Vladimir URUTCHEV

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. Whereas beekeepers and citizens expect the EU to formally adopt the guidelines for assessing the impact of plant protection products on bees, which are the only ones sufficient to determine the level of 'acceptable risk' required by Regulation 1107/2009;

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas in many cases the competent EU agencies, such as the European Food Safety Authority, do not have the results of the expected number of field tests related to certain challenged pesticide active substances;

Amendment 84 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. stressing that the many studies conducted on neonicotinoids have highlighted their adverse health and environmental impacts on pollinators, as well as their toxicity;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas climate change and spring frosts followed by heat and drought have a negative impact on honey production;

Amendment 86 #

Michel DANTIN, Mairead McGUINNESS, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas bees are an important indicator of environment cleanliness as they are the first to feel the changes in the environment;

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
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 88 #

Norbert ERDŐS, Franc BOGOVIČ, Marijana PETIR, Vladimir URUTCHEV

Motion for a resolution
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 89 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Marc TARABELLA, Maria NOICHL

Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)

Ib. whereas fires in several EU Member States have led to the deaths of millions of bees;

Amendment 9 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Maria NOICHL, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)

Ad. whereas good theoretical knowledge combined with a practical training is a prerequisite for better understanding and dealing with the challenges ahead of the bee families;

Amendment 90 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Marijana PETIR, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
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 91 #

Motion for a resolution
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;deleted

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

Amendment 93 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas ~~the~~often-cited statistics ~~indicate progress i~~on the ~~EU’s~~ beekeeping sector~~, with an increase in the number of bee colonies and honey produc~~ are open to misinterpretation, as annual observations o~~ver the past 15 years and an ongoing rise in the number of beekeepers~~f winter losses and disorders continue to be high;

Amendment 94 #

Michel DANTIN, John PROCTER, James NICHOLSON, Mairead McGUINNESS, Nathalie GRIESBECK, Frédérique RIES

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas, although the statistics indicate progress in the EU’s beekeeping sector, with an increase in the number of beekeepers and bee colonies and honey production over the past 15 years and an ongoing rise in the number of beekeepers, this is nullified by continued significant losses owing to winter conditions and disease;

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

Amendment 96 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. ~~Does not affect English version.~~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;

Amendment 97 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas this statistical increase results in part from the steady rise in Member State numbers and in part from the particular situation of the sector, since each Member State furnishes data for the period with the highest number of bee colonies in a given year;deleted

Amendment 98 #

Momchil NEKOV, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Michela GIUFFRIDA, Tibor SZANYI, Daciana Octavia SÂRBU

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas this statistical increase results in part from the ~~steady rise in Member State numbers and in part from the particular situation of the sector, since~~fact that each Member State furnishes data for the period with the highest number of bee colonies in a given year;

Amendment 99 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas this statistical increase results in part from the ~~steady~~ rise in Member State numbers and in part from the particular situation of the sector, since each Member State furnishes data for the period with the highest number of bee colonies in a given year;

source: 610.538

2017/10/04 ENVI 111 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Considers that honeybees are a crucial part of biodiversity and that they constitute an irreplaceable universal heritage on which animal pollination largely depend~~Emphasises that beekeeping as an economic and social activity plays a crucial role in the sustainable development of rural areas, creates jobs and provides an important ecosystem service via pollination, which contributes to the improvement of biodiversity by maintaining the genetic diversity of plants;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Highlights the importance of pollination for food security in Europe and in the world, given the impact of bees and pollinators (domestic and wild) on farming, agricultural production, biodiversity and environmental sustainability;

Amendment 100 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls on the Commission to set up a European bee health surveillance and monitoring programme coordinated by Member States with the aim of understanding factors affecting bee health and monitoring them over the long term;

Amendment 101 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls for greater financial support to be given to increasing the level of knowledge among beekeepers in the areas of bee diseases and bee breeding in order to ensure that beekeeping remains part of agricultural production and to care for the landscape into the future;

Amendment 102 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9b. Is aware that not all countries have a beekeeper and beehive registration system that would facilitate monitoring of developments in the sector, the market and bee health.

Amendment 103 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

~~10. Calls for a reinforcement of the resources allocated to the fight against commercial fraud affecting honey products.~~deleted

Amendment 104 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

~~10. Calls for a reinforcement of the resources allocated to the fight against commercial fraud affecting honey products.~~deleted

Amendment 105 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Calls ~~for a reinforcement of the resources allocated to the fight against commercial fraud affecting honey products.~~ on the Commission to increase the level of support for honeybee-health-related research under the next financial framework and to focus the research on technological developments, particularly on the impact of environmental factors on the bee colony immune system and their interactions with pathologies, on defining sustainable agricultural practices, on promoting non-chemical alternatives (i.e. preventative agronomic practices such as crop rotation and use of biological control) and on generally further encouraging Integrated Pest Management techniques;

Amendment 106 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Calls for ~~a reinforcement of the resources allocated to the fight against commercial fraud affecting honey~~special care to be taken with foreign honeys from hives fed on sugar syrup only, as these low-quality 'honeys' will, under free trade treaties, start competing with European products.

Amendment 107 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Calls for a reinforcement of the resources allocated to the fight against commercial fraud affecting honey ~~products~~and other honey-based products such as propolis, royal jelly and wax.

Amendment 108 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Calls for a reinforcement of the resources allocated to the fight against commercial fraud affecting honey and beeswax products.

Amendment 109 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Calls for continual checks to be carried out on the quality of honey imported from third countries whose legislation permits the treatment of bee colonies with antibiotics;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Considers that farming and beekeeping share the same land and are mutually beneficial, for which reason cooperation between the two sectors needs to be boosted to further synergies and reduce risks;

Amendment 110 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Calls for a definitive ban on the placing of any neonicotinoid insecticides on the European market;

Amendment 111 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 b (new)

10b. Calls for support for and promotion of national and international activities for young beekeepers in view of the high average age of beekeepers in the European Union.

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Stresses that bees can also serve as an indicator and as a means for monitoring the state of the environment in view of their great sensitivity to pollutants, such as arsenic, pesticides or radiation;

Amendment 13 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Considers that the deterioration of the environment due to the growing impact of human activity, the spread of intensive farming, the increasing use of plant health products, and climate change, are causing high mortality rates among bees and a drastic reduction in the number of bee colonies;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Is highly concerned that livestock mortality in some countries has reached levels greater than 50% and warns against this loss of honey productivity in hives being concealed by a statistical increase in honeybee populations over recent decades;

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Draws attention to the varying sizes of the honeybee population in different agricultural areas: the population is growing in some honey- producing countries, while other countries are facing a decline;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1c. Stresses the importance of preserving the variety of the bee gene pool, which is a vital resource for ensuring that bee populations are able to adapt to environmental changes and threats to their health;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1c. Draws attention to the lack of sufficient information and precise figures on the situation with regard to pollinators at world level, and on the numbers and diversity of pollinators;

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)

1d. Regrets the absence of regional or international programmes to monitor the current status and trends with regard to pollinators;

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

~~2. Notes that while selection can help prevent certain health scourges it must not lead to an impoverishment of the genetic heritage of bees, particularly of local species;~~deleted

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Considersthat honeybees~~In a situation whereby, according to the UN, 40% of pollinators might disappear, considers that honeybees - but also wild bees and bumblebees - are a crucial part of biodiversity and that they constitute an irreplaceable universal heritage on which animal pollination largely depends, thus making them an important element in food production for present and future generations;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Notes~~Underlines that protecting the genetic heritage of bees, as well as its diversity, must be seen as a vital priority and that awareness must be raised about the fact that, while selection can help prevent certain health scourges it must not lead to an impoverishment of the genetic heritage of bees, particularly of local species;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Notes that while selection can help prevent certain health scourges it must not lead to an impoverishment of the genetic heritage of bees, particularly of local species, and thus all such selection processes should be carefully monitored and controlled;

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Notes that, while selection can help prevent certain health scourges such as Varroa, moths, Asian hornets and some pesticides, it must not lead to an impoverishment of the genetic heritage of bees, particularly of local species;

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Notes that while genetic selection can help prevent certain health scourges it must not lead to an impoverishment of the genetic heritage of bees, particularly of local species;

Amendment 24 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Stresses that many of the predicted consequences of climate change, such as temperature increase, a change in precipitation patterns and extreme or less predictable weather events, will have an impact on pollinator populations;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop in conjunction with the farming and beekeeping sectors Good Practice Guides that will promote synergies between both activities and encourage use of the best techniques available;

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop in conjunction with the farming and beekeeping sectors a labelling system promoting the establishment of a responsible production system for bees;

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Deplore~~Condemns the fact that the widespread use of ~~chemical~~ pesticides, particularly on melliferous plant species, ~~threatens the survival of bees;~~ can affect the survival of bees; Calls on the Commission to work with the sector to develop a code of best practice in beekeeping, supported via access at Member State level to high-quality training; Calls for increased dialogue and collaboration between all stakeholders (beekeepers, farmers, experts, NGOs, local authorities, veterinaries, plant protection industries, citizens), in particular in terms of data collection and sharing; notes that the collection of data in relation to bee health should not place an additional burden on beekeepers;

Amendment 28 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Deplores the fact that the widespread use of chemical pesticides, particularly on melliferous plant species, threatens the survival of bees; maintains that neonicotinoid-based pesticides are particularly responsible for the worrying decline in bee populations across Europe, as can be seen from a range of international studies which have formed the basis for petitions from citizens comprising hundreds of thousands of signatures throughout the continent;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Deplores the fact that the widespread use of chemical pesticides, particularly on melliferous plant species, threatens the survival of bees, since it affects their physiology (rate of development) and behaviour (leading them to reject food, disrupting their navigation, etc.), as well as their learning processes (difficulty in recognising the nest, flowers, etc.);

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Considers that honeybees are a crucial part of biodiversity and that they constitute an irreplaceable universal heritage on which animal pollination largely depends; Notes that bee health is affected by multiple stressors including parasites, infectious agents and pesticides, which vary significantly according to geographical zones and climactic conditions;

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Deplores the fact that the widespread use of chemical pesticides, particularly on melliferous plant species, is one of the factors threatensing the survival of bees, as is the case with neonicotinoids, the use of which is not banned systematically; glyphosate, the use of which is still permitted in the EU, is also toxic to bees;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Deplores the fact that the widespread use of chemical pesticides, particularly on melliferous plant species, threatens the survival of bees, and recommends that such use - and its effects - should be monitored, controlled and - as much as is possible and as soon as is possible - reduced;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Deplores the fact that ~~the widespread use of chemical pes~~, as shown by independent peer-reviewed studies, the widespread use of chemical pesticides including neonicotinoids and other systemic insecticides, particularly on melliferous plant species, threatens the survival of bees;

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Deplores the fact that a combination of the widespread use of chemical pesticides, particularly on melliferous plant species, and the random use of agricultural harvesting machinery at times of honey flow, threatens the survival of bees;

Amendment 34 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Deplores the fact that the ~~widespread~~incorrect use of chemical pesticides, particularly on melliferous plant species, threatens the survival of bees;

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Deplores the ~~fact that~~threat posed to the survival of bees by the widespread use of chemical pesticides, particularly on melliferous plant species~~, threatens the survival of bees~~;

Amendment 36 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Deplores the fact that the widespread use of chemical pesticides, particularly on melliferous plant species, threatens the survival of bees~~Emphasises that the use of plant protection products in agriculture should be regarded as a main factor affecting bee health;

Amendment 37 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Stresses that the long-term effects of systemic plant protection products are underestimated; believes that use of plant protection products should be taken into account in order to clarify to what extent they play a role in bee health; welcomes the recent adoption of a pilot project on Environmental monitoring of pesticide use through honeybees;

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Recognises that a bee's resistance is considerably weakened by cumulative chemical exposure, leaving them unable to deal with stressors such as wet years, a lack of nectar, diseases or parasites;

Amendment 39 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Stresses the need to apply the precautionary principle in order to protect pollinators in general, both domestic and wild;

Amendment 4 #

Sylvie GODDYN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Considers that honeybees are a crucial part of biodiversity ~~and~~, that they ~~constitute an~~must be recognised as productive and pollinating insects but also as a wild species, and that as such they are particularly vulnerable and are part of the irreplaceable universal heritage on which animal pollination largely depends;

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Points to the growing body of scientific research connecting the extinction of bee colonies to the use of neonicotinoid pesticides;

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3 b. Points out that special attention must be paid to the use of plant protection products of the neonicotinoid family (Clothianidin, Thiacloprid, Imidacloprid, Thiamethoxam), phenyl pyrazole (Fipronil), pyrethroids and active substances such as Chlorpyrifos and Dimethoate, with lethal effects (mortality due to the acute or chronic toxicity of active substances in plant protection products) or sub-lethal effects (effects on the immune system or on behaviour of bees), directly or via contaminated water, droplet guttation, nectar and pollen that could cause digestive and hormonal disruption;

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Notes that the simplest way to improve bee health and reduce mortality is to cut exposure to products that increase bee mortality, whilst other factors impacting bees, such as climate change, food availability, the dominant intensive agricultural model, parasites and predators, are more difficult and complex to achieve;

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Points out that the EU has introduced temporary restrictions on the use of four neonicotinoid insecticides (clothianidin, thiamethoxam, imidacloprid and fipronil) in order to mitigate the impact on bees;

Amendment 44 #

3c. Notes that a healthy bee is better placed to withstand parasitism, disease and predation; Notes further that parasitism is never the primary cause of death, as parasites have an interest in keeping a host alive;

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)

3d. Welcomes therefore the proposal by the European Commission for a comprehensive ban on clothianidin, imiclprid and thiamethoxam and calls on Member States to fully support, implement and uphold this ban;

Amendment 46 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 e (new)

3e. Calls on the EU to formally adopt the guidelines for assessing the impact of plant protection products on bees in order to determine the level of 'acceptable risk' required by Regulation 1107/2009;

Amendment 47 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

~~4. Emphasises that ‘controlled pollination’ helps to restore harmony between beekeepers and farmers and can substantially increase crop yields;~~deleted

Amendment 48 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Emphasises that ‘controlled pollination’ helps to restore harmony between beekeepers and farmers and can substantially increase crop yields; there is therefore a need to encourage all branches of agricultural training to disseminate and put in place teaching material aimed at strengthening the links between beekeepers and farmers;

Amendment 49 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Emphasises that pollination represents a key service for ecosystems, and ‘controlled pollination’ helps to restore harmony between beekeepers and farmers and can substantially increase crop yields;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Considers that honeybees are a crucial part of biodiversity and that they constitute~~Emphasises the importance of honeybees as environmental health indicators, as crucial factors in biodiversity as a whole and ans irreplaceable universal heritage on which animal pollination largely depends;

Amendment 50 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Emphasises that ‘controlled pollination’ helps to restore harmony between professional beekeepers and farmers and can substantially increase crop yields;

Amendment 51 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Emphasises the contribution that ‘controlled pollination’ ~~helps to restore harmony between beekeepers and farmers and can substantially~~, which has been facilitated by nomadic apiculture, makes to increaseing crop yields and honey product output;

Amendment 52 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Points to the recent research conducted by the FAO, which shows that increasing the density and variety of pollinating insects has a direct impact on harvest yields and, as such can help small farmers increase their productivity by an average of 24% overall.

Amendment 53 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Notes that ~~the fight against frau~~Directive2014/63/EU requires the country of origin where the honey has been harvested to be indicated ion the ~~field of bee products calls for substantial fund~~label where the honey originates in one Member State or one third country; acknowledges however that further action is required to tackle fraud ing t~~o tackle~~he field of bee products and to address the unfair competition represented by adulterated ‘honey’ ~~in particular~~; Notes 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 54 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Notes that the fight against fraud in the field of bee products calls for substantial funding to tackle the unfair competition represented by adulterated ‘honey’ in particular; considers that honey is a 100% natural product which should not be supplemented, reduced or blended if consumer confidence is to be ensured;

Amendment 55 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Notes that the fight against fraud in the field of bee products calls for substantial funding and effective border monitoring to tackle ~~the~~ unfair competition and ensure pr~~esented by~~otection from serious health crises, particularly given the existence of adulterated ‘honey’ ~~in particular~~;

Amendment 56 #

5. Notes that the fight against fraud in the field of bee products calls for ~~substantial funding~~the reinforcement of resources where possible in order to tackle the unfair competition represented by adulterated ‘honey’ in particular;

Amendment 57 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Notes that the fight against fraud in the field of bee products calls for substantial funding to tackle the unfair competition represented by adulterated ‘honey’ and 'beeswax' in particular;

Amendment 58 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Notes that ~~the fight against fraud in the field of bee products calls for substantial funding to tackle the unfair competition represented by adulterated ‘honey’ in particular~~honey is the third most adulterated product in the world and that the adulteration of honey imported from third countries is causing considerable damage to European beekeepers;

Amendment 59 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Stresses the rejection of any form of patenting of plants and animals; calls for the collaborative honeybee breeding work done by the beekeeping community to be placed under an Open Source licence with a view to protecting the honeybee as a public good against appropriation by commercial undertakings and to ensuring that the general beekeeper can continue to breed the honeybee without a licence;

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Considers that honeybees arepresent a crucial part of biodiversity and that they help to maintain the ecological balance and constitute an irreplaceable universal heritage on which animal pollination largely depends;

Amendment 60 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Suggests, in order to protect consumers' rights and to help fight against fraudulent practices, that the country or countries of origin of honey should be clearly listed on the label;

Amendment 61 #

Julie GIRLING

5a. Notes that there are no common European standards for beekeepers;

Amendment 62 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

Amendment 63 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. ~~Calls on~~Welcomes that the Ccommission to include as one of the objectives of the common agricultural policy (CAP) limits on the objective of increasing productivity to circumscribe crop intensification, in order to provide sufficient and healthy living space for beepulsory greening measures of the new Direct Payment Regulation, in particular crop diversification and ecological focus areas, could contribute to a better environment for bees; stresses however that bees and other pollinators shall be at the heart of the EU food production system and more needs to be done to establish agricultural systems that respond to the needs of pollinators, while guaranteeing food production that contributes to the well- being of European citizens;

Amendment 64 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Commission to include as one of the objectives of the common agricultural policy (CAP) limits on the objective of increasing productivity to circumscribe crop intensification, in order to provide sufficient and healthy living space for bees; underlines that the EUR 36 million allocated to beekeepers is paltry when set against the challenges faced by the sector and cannot possibly resolve the problems confronting them in an effective and lasting way; adds that the greening of the CAP is inadequate in that it does not alter the overall aims of the CAP;

Amendment 65 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Commission to include as one of the objectives of the common agricultural policy (CAP) ~~limits on the objective of~~that of halting increas~~ing~~ed productivity t~~o circumscribe crop intensification, in order to provide sufficient and~~hrough the use of chemical inputs, while simultaneously encouraging the changeover to agro- ecological methods through the use of the organic and biodynamic crop production practices needed to ensure a healthy living space for bees;

Amendment 66 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Commission to in~~clude as one of th~~vestigate the possibility to include objectives ofwithin the common agricultural policy (CAP) ~~limits on the objective of increasing productivity to circumscribe crop intensification, in order to~~that provide sufficient and healthy living space for bees;

Amendment 67 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Commission ~~to include~~, as one of the objectives of the common agricultural policy (CAP), to include limits on the objective of increasing productivity to circumscribe crop intensification, in order to provide sufficient and healthy living space for bees;

Amendment 68 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to use bees as an indicator of environmental quality and as instrument for assessing the effectiveness of the implementation of the CAP objectives, specifically via residue analysis and botanical diversity of pollen sampled in beehives and other beekeeping matrices/products;

Amendment 69 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Calls on the Commission to ensure that farm subsidies from the various CAP budget lines take account of bee-friendly practices, such as for example ecological focus areas or growing wild flowers favoured by bees on land left fallow;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Considers that honeybees and other pollinators are a crucial part of biodiversity and that they constitute an irreplaceable universal heritage on which ~~animal~~ pollination largely depends;

Amendment 70 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Calls on the Commission, when reviewing the common agricultural policy post-2020, to award priority to measures that guarantee the environmental integrity required to ensure the optimum state of health of the bee population;

Amendment 71 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Calls for a considered procedure to expand the list of invasive plant species that could lead to a reduction in the diversity of bee pastures in the European Union;

Amendment 72 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Urges the Commission to progress on the implementation of the pilot projects on bees and other pollinators as indicators of environmental and habitat heath;

Amendment 73 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

~~7. Underlines in particular the role of research relating to the causes of the reduction in life expectancy of queen bees, which is a worrying phenomenon;~~deleted

Amendment 74 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Underlines in particular the role of research relating to the causes of the ~~reduction in life expectancy of queen bees, which is a worrying phenomenon~~large- scale reduction in the immunity of bee colonies, which is a worrying phenomenon, and of common action when looking for appropriate treatments and measures against bee parasites (in particular the Varroa destructor mite);

Amendment 75 #

Julie GIRLING

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Underlines in particular the role of research relating to the causes of the reduction in life expectancy of queen bees, which is a worrying phenomenon; calls for research on the impact of importing live queen bees from third countries;

Amendment 76 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Underlines in particular the role of research relating to the causes of the reduction in life ~~expectancy~~span of queen bees, which is a worrying phenomenon;

Amendment 77 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Welcomes the successes of the ongoing EU programmes such as SMARTBEES (Sustainable Management of Resilient Bee Populations) and calls for further commitment to protecting the biodiversity of wild bees and local breeds, and thus also preventing unbalanced concentration on the breeds that are most commonly kept today, Carnica, Ligustica and Buckfast;

Amendment 78 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Takes the view that European farming policies, and primarily the common agricultural policy (CAP), must incorporate the most recent scientific evidence on the benefits and threats to populations of bees and wild pollinators;

Amendment 79 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to produce a beehive identification and registration system so that developments in the sector, the market and bee health may be monitored;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Points out that the practice of so- called nomadic apiculture has many positive aspects but also a number of critical ones, in particular regarding compliance with the rules to prevent risks from spreading; whereas, therefore, more careful monitoring needs to take place;

Amendment 80 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Calls for the expansion and greater use of cutting-edge information technologies that could help to simplify the process of identifying bee colony diseases;

Amendment 81 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. Calls for beekeepers to be involved in local and public construction projects and in the design of public parks in order to ensure that an environment attractive for bees is created, meeting their need for suitable plants and continuous flowering;

Amendment 82 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. Calls on the Commission to set up a programme specifically for research, development, innovation, registration and marketing of medicines to tackle bee pathogens;

Amendment 83 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. ~~Considers it appropriat~~Recalls Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 establishing a framework for Community action to achieve tohe su~~pport the development of biological pesticides harmless to bees~~stainable use of pesticides and especially Article 14 thereof, which makes it mandatory for all farmers to apply the general principles of integrated pest management on their farms as from 2014, and Article 9, which places a general ban on aerial spraying;

Amendment 84 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Considers it appropriate to support and enhance the development of biological and low risk pesticides harmless to bees; calls for a harmonised interpretation and faster approval and authorisation procedure for biological and low-risk pesticides.

Amendment 85 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Considers it ~~appropriate~~necessary to support the development of methods and biological pesticides harmless to bees; and pollinators, in particular by means of granting funding for aid programmes dedicated to research.

Amendment 86 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. C~~onsiders it appropriate to support the development of biological pesticides harmless to bees~~alls for top priority to be awarded to the development and use of agricultural techniques and plant health products that are harmless to bees and the environment;

Amendment 87 #

Julie GIRLING

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Considers it appropriate to support the development of biological pesticides, biocides and veterinary medicines which are harmless to bees;

Amendment 88 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Considers it appropriate to support the development of biological pesticides ~~harmles~~, biocidal products and veterinary medicines to bees;

Amendment 89 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Considers it appropriate to support the development of biological pesticides which have been proven harmless to bees;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Recognises that while crop pollinators, including honey bees, pollinate over 80% of all crops and wild plants and contribute at least 22 billion euros each year to the European agricultural industry, bee populations are falling at an alarming rate;

Amendment 90 #

Aldo PATRICIELLO

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Considers it ~~appropriate~~necessary to support the development of biological pesticides harmless to bees;

Amendment 91 #

8a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to accelerate the evaluation, authorisation, registration and monitoring of the use of low-risk plant protection products of biological origin while maintaining risk assessment at a high level in order to offer an even larger range of alternatives to farmers;

Amendment 92 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Calls on the Commission to propose legislation banning the production, sale and use of all neonicotinoid-based pesticides throughout the EU, with no derogations and as a priority measure, in order to protect bee populations;

Amendment 93 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Believes that authorised medicines for bees are in short supply, it is difficult to know which molecules each Member State authorises and few new products are in development;

Amendment 94 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Calls for public and private funding for research and development on improved practices in the field of organic farming to be stepped up;

Amendment 95 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

9. Calls ~~for support for the training of beekeepers in order to promote a non- intrusive European surveillance of bees by developing indicators for the vitality of colonies;~~ on the Commission to promote sustainable agricultural practices in the CAP, to encourage all farmers to employ simple agronomic practices in line with Directive 2009/128/EC and to strengthen agri-environmental measures specific to the beekeeping sector, in the spirit of the new EU Biodiversity Strategy; calls on the Member States to lay down agri-environmental measures geared to apiculture in their rural development programmes and to encourage farmers to engage in agri-environmental measures supporting ‘bee-friendly’ grasslands on field margins and to employ an advanced level of integrated production, taking a holistic approach to farming and using biological control with low risk where possible;

Amendment 96 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

9. Calls for support for the training of beekeepers across all Member States in order to promote a non- intrusive European surveillance of bees by developing indicators for the vitality of colonies;

Amendment 97 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

9. Calls for support for the training of professional beekeepers in order to promote a non- intrusive European surveillance of bees by developing indicators for the vitality of colonies;

Amendment 98 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. calls on the Commission, in addition, to introduce and strengthen indirect measures to help increase the bee population, for instance by considering the possibility of sowing melliferous plant species on fallow land or by providing for a mandatory quota of land that each holding must devote to melliferous plants;

Amendment 99 #