BeeLife at Apimondia 2023

The 48th Apimondia Congress 2023 took place on 4-8 September 2023. Following a long tradition, the event brought together scientists, specialists and beekeepers worldwide. BeeLife was also there contributing to the conversation.

We participated in the Round Table (RT) Europe, where we presented BeeLife's activities (slides available here) and managed the RT on Bee Health, bees, beekeepers and pollinators as bioindicators of the quality of the environment. Our Scientific Director, Noa Simon Delso, represented BeeLife and its members and presented two crucial developments in our work.

Right to left: BeeLife's Scientific Director Noa Simón Delso, Board Member Michael Ruining, and colleagues at Apimondia 2023

Scientific Poster: Got your hives exposed to pesticides?

What are your rights?

This first presentation addressed the potential legal pathways beekeepers may follow in Europe when their beehives become exposed to pesticides. When this situation occurs, the livelihood of beekeepers and the pollinating role of their bees come into peril. BeeLife argues that beekeepers could seek compensation by establishing the liability of environmental polluters. Considering the harmful effects of contamination, which lead to colony collapse and reduced hive performance, beekeepers may seek to apply the precautionary principle and the 'polluter pays' principle.

Although these legal pathways remain exploratory and significant precedents are yet to be set, BeeLife argues for the legal foundations for beekeepers to seek to enforce the liability of those responsible for honeybee intoxication.

More information is available in the scientific poster below.

Developments and call for collaboration for the EU Pollinator Hub

A second presentation dealt with the goals, development status and call for collaborations in the EU Pollinator Hub. It is a never-before-seen online platform that allows for collecting, processing, and visualising all data related to pollinator health. The Hub is under development thanks to strong collaborations with the EU Bee Partnership and the support of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

The presentation stressed the collaborative basis of the Hub. It is a tool for all actors (private and public) to share data, thanks to an accessible and user-friendly interface. The Pollinator Hub is in its later stages of development and is constantly inviting data providers and users to join the collaborative network. We envisage a long-term goal where the Hub expands globally to help develop collaborations to address environmental challenges and improve the synergic conditions for sustainability and pollinator health.

More information on the EU Pollinator Hub is available at www.pollinatorhub.eu