The Senate voted for the establishment of a national plan to combat the proliferation of the Asian hornet. The plan provides a compensation framework for ‘beekeepers’ who have suffered economic damage caused by the species.
It is responsible for around 20% of mortality in apiaries according to estimates, and represents an annual loss of 12 million euros for the beekeeping industry. The bill is a fundamental element of our ability to reduce the impact of this invasive exotic species, underlined the Secretary of State for Biodiversity Hervé Berville, in favor of these measures to combat a predator which represents, according to him, “a triple threat, for thebeekeeping industry,. for the environment and of course, for public health”. The left would have liked to go further with broader compensation for beekeepers. The Asian Hornet appeared 20 years ago in France and has spread widely since then. The species is ‘a beekeeping disaster, a scourge for biodiversity and a risk factor that is insufficiently taken into account,’ worried rapporteur Jean-Yves Roux (RDSE group).