Meeting National Bee strategy Partners

Last year, the National Bee Strategy was signed by various organisations and institutes, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, environmental management organisations, agricultural and horticulture organisations, the business community, research institutes and local governments. VHL University of Applied Sciences (VHL) is one of the forty-three partners, and we contribute by setting up educational projects, by raising awareness, and by doing research on the genetic background of honey bees, and combating their destructor, the Varroa mite.

The National Bee Strategy partners gathered at the Betuws Wijndomein in Erichem last Thursday, where the day started off with a field trip. During this excursion, they spoke with various scientists, entrepreneurs and agricultural managers at six different locations, who provided information about innovative measures that are being taken to help the bees in the Betuwe area.

During the afternoon the main focus was on the implementation of the Bee Strategy, and a number of new members were welcomed as partners. The new 'red list' of Dutch bees as well as the progress of the organisation 'Kennisimpuls Bestuivers' (who are dedicated maintain and improve pollinators in the Netherlands) was reviewed, and they discussed how initiatives could be linked to the Bee Stategy's main objectives. The main questions were: what is currently being done, how can we measure our progress, how can we collaborate more efficiently, and, of course, how are we going to reach the goals that have been set for 2030?

For more information about the National Bee Strategy, see the website of the national government.