Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-11-23-Speech-2-636"
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"en.20101123.43.2-636"2
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"Madam President, the problem with this report on the diminishing bee population is that there is a real tragedy here. However, having examined this document, I find that the proposals being put to this House are a classic example of what is known in this building as a ‘beneficial crisis’. Beneficial, that is, for the EU, with proposals constructed on the basis of extending EU control over a wider and wider area. No change there then.
The CAP features in passing in this report, but there is no mention of the destructive effect of the imposition of that policy in my country. I am thinking here of the nature of hedgerows and the working of fields and orchards, the management of which has been seriously interfered with by EU legislation, to the detriment of bees in Britain.
The report admits that it cannot identify the prime cause for the drop in bee numbers, and so cites a large number of possibilities. It lists bee disease, bees’ weakened immunity to pathogens and parasites, climate change – you could bet that one would be in here – and the disappearance of mellifluous flora. The possible deleterious effect of genetically modified plants is grudgingly admitted, but dismissed as insignificant – you could have bet on that being here, too.
In truth, these are all guesses. The one constant in all this is the presence of the Varroa mite which attacks the bees’ immune system and is probably the root cause of this whole problem. But no, the plight of bees is used as an excuse to introduce a whole host of regulations calling, amongst other things, for cooperation between beekeepers’ associations from Member States, tighter controls on the importation of honey, increased labelling requirements – hardly designed to stop the bees dying, surely – product authorisation, whatever that is, and a move to recruit young beekeepers. Amazing. Whilst all this is taking place, the Varroa mite continues its pernicious work and bees die.
No doubt well intentioned, this report needs to be reduced to identifying and eliminating whatever it is that is killing our bees, and to allow the international community to deal with it, not to serve as an excuse for more and more and more EU regulation."@en1
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