Rosa Miguélez Ramos, on behalf of the PSE Group. – (ES) Madam President, I want to congratulate Mrs Lulling on the determination that she has shown in getting this issue, which some may feel is relatively minor, onto the agenda of this Parliament, albeit at such a late hour.

Beekeeping is a farming activity with important economic repercussions and beneficial effects on rural development and the ecological balance.

In my country, beekeeping involves around 27 000 producers who manage more than 2 300 000 hives. This makes my country the leading honey producer in the European Union.

Spanish beekeepers, together with all other beekeepers, are facing problems deriving not only from the reduction in pollen and nectar, but also from the appearance of new diseases which are decimating hives. The Commission should be working on a line of research into the origin of these diseases and, in this respect, a budgetary effort seems vital to us.

However, I want to add that imports – and I am referring to honey imports – must meet the same requirements as our products and offer full guarantees to consumers. In this respect, good labelling of our products is fundamental and the Commission has an important role to play in this.

A high level must be maintained, in terms of both frequency and number of controls at border inspection points, to guarantee that no beekeeping products containing residues enter the European Union from third countries.

For many of our farmers, beekeeping supplements their almost always limited income. It is also work which employs many women. Honey occupies an important place at small fairs and markets and beekeepers have made a major effort to diversify their products, provide labelling, ensure better hygiene and health guarantees, and open new channels of distribution.

Commissioner, we cannot simply allow all these efforts to go to waste.