Dialogue to reach the solution for bee protection

On Thursday, 14 March 2019, at the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina in Novi Sad, the second-round table was held within the campaign "Bee Protection Month". The event brought together beekeepers, farmers, representatives of relevant institutions and the media to identify challenges and possible solutions to combat bee poisoning through a public-private dialogue.

Bee conservation is an important topic, since every third bite of food depends directly on them as pollinators. Also, bees are the best indicator of a safe environment for humans because they can only live in a healthy and clean environment. However, their population and the honey production in Serbia have dropped significantly because of poisoning due to irresponsible use of pesticides in agriculture.

In order to stop the practice of bee poisoning with pesticides, the round table suggested that no toxic agents should be used during the blooming period, and that better communication between beekeepers and farmers ought to be established. Beekeepers, in conversation with representatives of line ministries, agreed on the need to simplify administrative procedures in the beekeeping sector at the national and local levels, as well as to build the capacities of inspection.

The bee protection campaign was launched by the Beekeeping Association of Serbia and NALED as part of a four-year Public-Private Dialogue for Growth funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by NALED in cooperation with the Republican Secretariat for Public Policy. The next roundtable will be organized in Čačak on 26 March.

Join the dialogue to provide your own recommendations for bee protection at www.jpd.rs.