IBRA welcomes and supports a recent EU Commission paper which outlines the need for more action on bee health in the EU.

IBRA’s Scientific Director, Norman Carreck says that it is excellent news that the importance of bees to the environment and agriculture has been recognised. The Commission paper identifies the key issues related to bee health. These include the need for an EU Reference Laboratory for bee diseases, measures to address biodiversity loss, further research and action to address bee mortality and better disease management, and a proposed increase in the EU contribution towards national beekeeping programmes of almost 25% for 2011-13.

The importance of insect pollination of agricultural plants to the UK economy has recently been valued at £400 Million per annum. This value excludes the intangible value and environmental importance of bees pollinating of wild plants throughout the UK. In the last 100 years, there has been a decline of 75% in the number of honey bee colonies in Britain, and similar declines throughout the EU, so it is easy to see why IBRA and others are so concerned that the honey bee is in decline.

Need for better disease control The Commission paper says that EU veterinary policy needs to be modified so that it can tackle bee mortality, for example, through effective measures to control bee pests such as the parasitic mite Varroa. In addition, access to medicines in the whole of the European Union should be improved through EU funding. One of the key issues for beekeepers in Britain today is that there are only limited treatments available to control Varroa. Products approved some 20 years ago are no longer effective because the mite has developed resistance to them. Some products approved to treat Varroa in mainland Europe are not available for UK beekeepers and it is hoped this issue can be resolved.

Independent research to inform the public The Commission paper says that research projects should deal with honey bee health and the decline of both wild and domesticated pollinators, including honey bee colonies in Europe. The Paper confirms that pesticides should be approved at the EU level only if they are safe for honey bees. Additional support could include existing EU research programmes such as the COLOSS (prevention of honey bee COLony LOSSes) Network. One of the UK representatives in the COLOSS Network is IBRA’s Scientific Director Norman Carreck, who says that research is needed to better understand why and how honey bees have been in decline. The causes of bee decline seem to vary from country to country and, as yet, no common cause has been identified which means there may be no single panacea available to beekeepers. IBRA believes that this Communication will offers hope to beleaguered beekeepers and make steps to support bees and other pollinators throughout the EU, as their role in terms of agriculture and the environment is invaluable.