Last Friday, tens of beekeepers gathered on the SNP square in Bratislava to protest against the use of chemical substances for spraying in agriculture. They criticized most of all the use of neonicotinoids, which they labelled as highly dangerous for bees. As TASR wrote, these insecticides weaken the bees' immune system, have a negative impact on their reproduction and their ability to learn. "Four years ago, when the EU temporarily banned the use of some types of neonicotinoids, Slovakia voted against. The other countries were wiser," said chair of the Slovak Beekeepers' Union Ľudovít Gál. He also added that the Union refuses for some of the sectors of Agriculture to be preferred to beekeeping. They require Slovakia to follow the EU's directives and not to ask for exceptions. "There are alternatives for crop treatment. Switzerland has never allowed the use of neonicotinoids." explained Gál who also pointed to France and Germany, where a total ban on these substances is being prepared. As of Monday, the Agriculture Ministry has not reacted to the beekeepers' calls.
The protest came only three days after the Government approved a national strategy for beekeeping in Slovakia for the next three years, with new beekeepers and the beekeeper association to receive subsidies totalling almost €1.2 million each year.
