International

Bees are having it tough. There is less pollen and nectar, and the culprits are genetically modified and 'treated' plants and seeds. The Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament will next week, at the parliament's plenary session, demand action.

Chain reaction

A reduced supply of food and damage to the immune system are making bees vulnerable to parasites. If bees pollinate fewer plants, yields of vegetables, fruit and cereals will decline. “The absence of bees provokes a chain reaction,” says SP Euro-MP Kartika Liotard. “I am curious to know what the European Commission will say in answer to Tuesday evening's question as to what measures it sees as needed to combat inadequate levels of pollination, what research it proposes into parasites and diseases which attack bee populations and to what extent it is prepared to institute buffer zones and special protection for pollen- and nectar-rich areas.”