ASAJA Alicante beekeeping industry, together with the rest of professional agricultural organizations and representative organizations of the beekeeping industry in the Valencian Community, held a protest meeting outside the gates of the Valencia Courts in Valencia on Thursday, 2 February. The very serious and unsustainable situation in which beekeepers and the Community as a whole are in beekeeping activity.
Among the alleged reasons, excessive bee deaths, either for health reasons (varroa) or due to the effects of high temperatures and lack of rain in recent months; increase in production costs, increase in diesel, which is an important input for transhumance especially in Valencia and which excludes the sector from professional diesel discounts implemented by the Government; and that 2022 was the year in which more honey was imported from third countriesIt causes the price of the product to drop to the ground and cannot find a commercial point of sale.
Beekeepers coming from all over the community by bus and private vehicles will participate in this concentration, which will be held in front of the regional hemicycle gates from 10.30 am. will expose the problems that brought them to the brink of bankruptcyan activity that less than a decade ago owned a beekeeping cabin with the highest number of hives in Spain and pioneered the national production of the finest orange blossom, rosemary and thyme honey, among others.
Both ASAJA Alicante and other organizing organizations, They will ask Consell to immediately implement emergency measures through direct assistance.; the issuance of a PDR accompanied by undertakeable obligations for the beekeeper and a reasonable budget allocated similarly to the rest of the autonomous communities; a larger amount of aid to compensate for the war in Ukraine, given that the amount allocated for beekeeping does not cover even a kilo of food per hive; inclusion of transhumance beekeeping in the agricultural professional diesel bonus; control of large imports of honey from third countries; and definitively stop publishing the “pinyolà” agreement.
The official X-ray of the situation is chilling: There was a 70% decrease in the Valencia Community honey harvest in 2022; From 2010 to 2022 the number of hives in the Valencian Community decreased by 18%; currently 60% of hives are at real risk of extinction; last year was the year in which most honey was imported from third countries; It is already known that the 2022 figures will be even worse.
“We’re asking the council to stop running the industry from behind and show some sensitivity. We, beekeepers, feel victimized by an Administration that has lied to us, made no commitment and failed to provide valid assistance, as it has been for 15 years, in order to continue this very important activity for the environment. His incompetence and negligence in solving this serious problem is obvious. causes the majority to consider quitting the activity”, denounces Guillermo Rosell, ASAJA Alicante Head of Beekeeping Industry.
Source: Informacion
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