Institutional approach to improve the regulatory framework of veterinary medicine products and biocides with regards to their risk to bees

Details

Supervisors

Thierry Hance ; Noa Simon Delso

Faculty

Faculté des bioingénieurs

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences et gestion de l'environnement

Abstract

The overall goal of my internship at BeeLife European Beekeeping organization is “to contribute to the regulatory, administrative and scientific improvement with regard to the risk assessment of veterinary medicine products (VMPs) and biocides products which threaten bees”. BeeLife with its member UNAF (Union Nationale de l’Apiculture Française) have already published a report addressing the problem related to use of VMPs and biocide which are harmful for bees. I was in charge of making known the report, and raising awareness to a panel of stakeholders involved with respect to the matter on the recommendations proposed in the report. The first objective was to acquire a better comprehension of the environmental issues. Once this goal was achieved, the second purpose was to identify and interview the stakeholders. Prior to the face to face video call (due to covid-19 situation), we send to the panellist a short-animated video together with the UNAF and BeeLife’s report cited previously to each of the potential participants. In this way, the report was turned into accessible information for general public. The third objective was to suggest a proper approach in order to know stakeholders’ opinions with respect to the problem highlighted in the report. The result aim to help BeeLife to better focus their activity in order to tackle the environmental issues related to the use of VMPs and biocides that threaten bees. The stakeholders identified and contacted are from a multidisciplinary background and from various sector. A Delphi Survey was proposed and carried out. For the survey, the alternatives suggested in UNAF and BeeLife’s report are turned into specific questions in order to assess what do the participant consider as important, feasible, and with which point they disagree. Also, their personal opinions as experts with regard to the matter of VMPs and Biocide that threaten bees are taken into account. it is clear from the results of the present study that solving complex environmental issues is possible only through multidisciplinary collaboration. However, the survey highlighted the data and knowledge gap with respect to bees’ contamination from VMPs and biocides use in livestock, which may be a limiting factor to contribute in solving the issue related to the use of these products that threaten bees. Considerably more work and research need to be done to determine the exposure pathway of bees in order to better orient the environmental risk assessment of VMPs and biocides.