Chers tous et toutes,

Cela peut paraître « accessoire » ou « superfétatoire » dans le contexte que nous connaissons et vivons, mais et c’est une chance de savoir que je m’adresse à des écologistes et que je n’ai donc pas besoin de vous faire l’article sur le rôle des pollinisateurs, leur rôle social, économique, etc…

LE GROUPES DES VERTS EUROPÉENS AU PARLEMENT EUROPÉEN LANCE UNE CAMPAGNE 2013 POUR LES ABEILLES : ALIMENTATION, ANTI-OGM, POLITIQUE AGRICOLE COMMUNE…
Nous l’avons annoncé aujourd’hui lors d’une conférence de presse avec le Président de l’UNAF et sur fond de deux pétitions européennes auditionnées hier en Commission des pétitions (l’une sur la mortalité des abeilles et l’interdiction de pesticides, l’autre sur l’interdiction des OGM – pour faire court 😉 Un rapport sur la révision de la
directive « miel » est à l’examen jeudi en Commission environnement et une question orale à la Commission sera posée sur les mesures à prendre pour interdire les pesticides visés par l’avis de l’EFSA de la semaine dernière.

Si vous souhaitez relayer cette campagne sur vos territoires, n’hésitez pas à manifester votre intérêt auprès de nous et du groupe !
Vous trouverez des informations aux liens suivants :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/greensefa/8405384300/ [1]
http://gmo.greens-efa.eu/donnons-une-chance-aux-abeilles-9026.html [2]

Et le retour par la revue du PE de notre lancement ce matin, ici :
http://www.theparliament.com/latest-news/article/newsarticle/green-meps-demand-protection-for-bees/#.UP7dO2ea9Ig [3]

GREEN MEPS CALL FOR BETTER BEE PROTECTION

By Kayleigh Lewis – 22nd January 2013
————————-

PARLIAMENTS GREENS/EFA GROUP HAS LAUNCHED A CAMPAIGN AIMED AT PREVENTING THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF PESTICIDES AND GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS (GMOS) ON BEES, FOOD PRODUCTS AND THE LIVELIHOOD OF BEEKEEPERS.

Speaking in the European parliament on Tuesday, Belgian deputy Bart Staes said, « Our demands are clear, we want an urgent transition to bee friendly and sustainable farming. »

He said that the Greens are also calling for an immediate ban on the most toxic bee killers and a ban on GMO crops and GMO contaminated honey.

The campaign was launched in a press conference ahead of a parliament vote on the common agricultural policy.

Staes said, « We want to put sustainable agricultural practices at the heart of that common agricultural policy by package of agronomic practices excluding the use of pesticides. »

« The campaign is, indeed, playing on the famous song by John Lennon ‘Give peace a chance’, but here we say give bees a chance. »

Instead, the campaign advocates the inclusion of crop rotation, permanent pasture, cover crops and ecological focus areas.

A recent report by the European food safety authority (EFSA) directly links the decline in bee population to the use of pesticides, in particular neonicotinoids, with the Greens/EFA group hoping that independent scientific evidence will vindicate their demands for alternative resolutions for bee health.

French MEP Sandrine Bélier, who also spoke at the campaign launch, said. « Bees represent a ‘bio-indicator’ of the state of the planet and for years we have been witnessing a severe increase of bees’ mortality.

« The reasons for the alarming decline of bees’ population are multiple and progressively highlighted by scientific work. Intensive farming reliant on pesticides is a key factor and recent studies link pesticide exposure to honeybee decline.

« The effect of pesticides and in particular neonicotinoids cannot be denied anymore after the publication of the critical opinions of EFSA. »

On January 21, two petitions by beekeepers will be presented, one on the rise of mortality in bees due to the use of pesticides and the other asking for the protection of bees and beekeepers from GMO contamination.

« The two petitions examined in the [petitions] committee of the European parliament yesterday stress the severe impact on bees and beekeepers of Europe’s inaction as regards GMO-contaminated honey and the use of bee-killer pesticides, » said Bélier.

The petitions come just days ahead of an environment, public health and food safety (Envi) committee meeting in which the first exchange of views on the proposed honey directive will take place.

Staes said, « [Whether] we want to change the honey directive is the debate which is going on now in the Envi committee. Mrs Girling, the rapporteur, wants to move very fast and wants to adopt the proposal of the commission with nearly no changes, we as Greens say that we cannot do that.

« We are in contact with the bee keeping association…and they say we want to know what impact these changes of the honey directive will have.

Also to know what impact of the changes of the honey directive will have on the life of the bee keepers, both themselves and also from an economic point of view. »

He said that he and his fellow shadow rapporteurs had asked ECR MEP Julie Girling to undertake an impact assessment to consider the implications of any changes to the honey directive.

« This proposal will be discussed in a meeting of the coordinators of the environmental committee next Thursday morning, » said Staes.

« I hope that the coordinators of the groups, together with the rapporteur, will accept that an impact assessment of such an important proposal is indeed necessary. »

A bientôt et bises à tous,

—
Sandrine Bélier
sandrine.belier@europarl.europa.eu [4]

Links:
——
[1] http://www.flickr.com/photos/greensefa/8405384300/
[2] http://gmo.greens-efa.eu/donnons-une-chance-aux-abeilles-9026.html
[3] http://www.theparliament.com/latest-news/article/newsarticle/green-meps-demand-protection-for-bees/#.UP7dO2ea9Ig
[4] mailto:sandrine.belier@europarl.europa.eu