Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-11-23-Speech-2-639"
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"en.20101123.43.2-639"2
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"Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the reason I decided to table several amendments to Mr Paolo De Castro’s excellent proposal is because beekeeping is an essential economic sector. I am sure our excellent fellow Member, Mrs Lulling, will agree, since she has been working on this problem since 1994. I think we can pay tribute to her this evening.
We need to realise that the disappearance of bees would amount to an unprecedented upheaval in the history of mankind. Such a change in biodiversity would put vital food diversity at risk. This profound disturbance of ecosystems would destroy all prospects for future generations.
The disappearance of pollinating bees is to be taken seriously, for the collapse in numbers of both the wild bee and the honey bee can now be measured on a global scale. Cocoa, vanilla, melon, passion fruit, all these tropical crops are entirely dependent on pollinating bees for their production of fruit and seeds.
On all continents and increasingly often, honey bees are dying in large numbers at the end of the winter. In Europe, many beekeepers have had to shut up shop. Currently, over 80% of species of flowering plants in the world and 80% of species grown in Europe rely directly on pollination by insects, bees for the most part. Without foraging bees, most crops would not produce a satisfactory yield. This is the case for many wild species, but also for fruit trees, protein crops and vegetable crops. So it would be difficult to think of a meal in which bees did not play an important role.
The causes of their decline are known: destruction of their nesting sites, increasing scarcity of the plants that provide them with nectar and pollen, but also diseases, parasites, and especially the use of pesticides, more specifically neurotoxic pesticides, which are particularly harmful for bees. Farmers and gardeners must recognise that bees are totally defenceless when faced with toxic products and that they are precious contributors to their crops and need to be protected as a matter of priority.
I will close by saying that we must react, for we cannot accept honey coming from elsewhere – the quality is lower and it does not meet our strict production criteria – as being inevitable, as the only alternative to the dearth of honey that is slowly taking hold in Europe. I therefore call on Mr Cioloş and the Commission to include beekeeping in the CAP with specific measures."@en1
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