Bulgarian Beekeepers are Planning Protests due to Pesticide Poisoning of Bees

Beekeepers who suffered from different parts of the country are planning protests after mass poisoning with pesticides and demanding compensation from the state, Nova TV reports. The first action is planned for May 4 in Pleven.

Signs of bees poisoning and heavy losses of beekeepers come to the state institutions from the districts of Vratsa, Pleven, Dobrich, Varna. The legal base prohibits crop cultivation from being treated with plant protection products during the flowering period, the farmers explain. The first signals for poisoned bees were filed in the middle of the month.

"I have not received any information from the landlords that it will be sprayed." Warning must be done 72 hours before, "said Yumer Khalil, a beekeeper from the village of Malina, in front of the television. His colleagues insist that the spraying videos that Yumer had shot should be seen as an absolute proof of a violation - if the authorities find violations subsidies will be suspended, sanctions are going to be imposed and machines for spraying will be confiscated.

The family of Maria and Ivaylo Dochevi from the village of Strupets in Vratsa has lost 173 bee families. The farm has paid 800 leva for the study of dead bees and so it has been proven that the cause is glyphosate poisoning. Farmers have filed a signal with the District Food Safety Authority and insist on state compensation. The farm has been working for five years and has received a Young Farmer approval, expecting a subsidy of 70-80 thousand, but now it will not be able to receive the financial support.