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European Professional Beekeepers Association

EPBA

The European Professional Beekeepers Association (EPBA) is an association of beekeeping organisations of EU member states.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Sustainable use of pesticides – revision of the EU rules

19 Sept 2022

EPBA, European Professional Beekeepers Association, is representing beekeepers at the European Level. We contributed during different stakeholders meetings already and we are glad to see that the Sustainable Use of pesticides Directive is becoming a Regulation. This will need a full implementation and controls! Please find attached a more detailled contribution.
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Response to Revision of the Union Customs Code

14 Sept 2022

Merci pour cette consultation. Bien qu'en marge de cette dernière, les apiculteurs européens souhaitent porter certains points à votre attention, notamment en termes de code douanier et de statistiques. Veuillez trouver ci-joint notre contribution. Nous restons à votre disposition.
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Response to Revision of the EU Pollinators Initiative

8 Jun 2022

EPBA, the European Professional Beekeepers' Association, represents professional beekeepers in the European Union as an economic interest group. Our agricultural production depends on the environment and even more so on the management/agricultural choices made by others: farmers, forest managers, landowners... No one can deny today the importance of pollinators for the sustainability of our societies; they play a decisive role both in food systems and in the preservation of biological diversity and landscapes. Therefore, not only do we need to support pollinators such as our honey bee, but we also need to provide viable habitats and resources for wild pollinators. We cannot pit pollinators against each other and the current trend is alarming to us as beekeepers. While we have welcomed the Pollinator initiative from the beginning (which has really raised awareness and put pollinators in the spotlight), it seems to be turning against us; those we worked with at the beginning (researchers, environmental NGOs...), notably by bringing Apis mellifera as a flagship species, are now pointing fingers at us. In some places, honeybees have become persona non grata, beekeepers have been expropriated and common interests, the improvement of environmental health, the reduction of pesticide use, access to resources (nectariferous, pollen and water), have been forgotten... This trend should be stopped, pollinators should be considered as complementary and the different stakeholders in the same territory should act together for a sustainable agricultural system. Few comments: - The implementation of the pollinator initiative must be accelerated, without stigmatising or overvaluing certain species; - Thanks to DG Envi for this European pollinator initiative launched already 4 years ago...in 2018 but it is clear that the trend of pollinators populations' decline has continued; - It is imperative to define legally binding targets that also apply to pollinators in the framework of the nature restoration targets initiative that it will soon launch under the EU Biodiversity Strategy; - Ambitious targets for pollinators in the new CAP and NSPs still in the process of being validated (a truly incentive-based "Pollinators" eco-programme with a holistic view of the cropping system at farm level), the EU Biodiversity and Farm to Fork strategies must be maintained and strengthened; - A better risk assesment for pesticides for bees has to be put in place.
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Response to Lists of products of animal origin and composite products and their CN codes subject to official controls at borders

4 May 2022

Please find attached the position of EPBA, the European professionnal Beekeepers'Association.
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Response to EU Pollinators Initiative

29 Dec 2017

EPBA Position on the EU Pollinators Initiative The European Professional Beekeepers Association (EPBA) welcomes the EU Pollinators Initiative. We believe that the problems experienced by the beekeeping community are part of a larger phenomenon affecting pollinators as a whole. Since there is a complex interaction of factors, the initiative needs to involve not just DG ENVI, but also DG SANTE and DG AGRI. This will ensure, that there is synergy with existing EU efforts for domesticated pollinators, as envisioned by the initiative. While the actions suggested by the initiative are very laudable, it is also necessary to review current and future policies in other areas as to their impact on pollinators. Therefore, we would like to suggest, that the excellent EU Pollinator Initiative additionaly implements a requirement to prepare a “Pollinator Impact Statement” for other policies, which may alter land use and agricultural practices. This is especially true for the reform of the CAP, which presents a great opportunity to improve the situation of pollinators as well as the ecosystem services they provide for sustainable farming in the EU.
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Response to Changes to greening rules and clarifications of certain other direct payments' rules

12 Jan 2017

EFAs were established ‘to safeguard and improve biodiversity on farms’ as per recital 44 of Reg.1307/2013 “by boosting natural processes and so strengthening the ecosystem functions that are essential for the long term productivity and intrinsic fertility of our food production systems”. The treatment with agrochemicals negatively impacts honeybees and wild pollinators, which are essential to a productive farm eco system. In the the report from the European Economic and Social Committee it was concluded that: “the use of pesticides in ecological focus areas is diametrically opposed to the intention of greening agricultural policy: pesticides do not help to increase biodiversity but damage it”. As professional beekeepers, we could not agree more with this statement. Under the current scheme, farmers are permitted to use pesticides on 95% of the land. The implementation in the member states has resulted in 73% of the EFAs still being used for intensive production. As a result, we have pesticide use not just on 95% of the conventionally farmed land but actually closer to 99%. New research shows, that the only refuge for bees are now cities. We need the EFAs als refuge for pollinators and beneficial insects in the country side. Therefore we welcome the proposal of the commission to close this loophole. We agree with the intention for having more nitrogen fixing crops and a regional protein strategy. But this should be part of the crop rotation on the 95% of farm land not erode the important functions of the areas designated as EFAs.
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Meeting with Vytenis Andriukaitis (Commissioner) and

30 Jan 2015 · The Food Chain, Innovation and Challenges, Food Information to Consumers, Nutrition, and Food Waste, Animal Health, Animal Welfare and Plant Health