Beekeeping receives European funding – under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), through the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (FEAGA) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (FEASR) – as well as national funding. An in-depth look.
1) European funding of beekeeping activities
Funding of activities relating to beekeeping products – as defined in the Common Market Organization Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 (1) – fall within the scope of application of Reg. (EU) No 2021/2115. (2) This regulation defines the general and specific objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy to be achieved through funding from the EAGF and the EAFRD, as well as the types of eligible interventions, which are mandatory for all Member States.
Based on the objectives specific provisions indicated in the CAP for the beekeeping sector, Member States must choose in their strategic plans one or more of the following types of intervention in the beekeeping sector:
(a) consultancy services, technical assistance, training, information and exchange of best practices, including through networking, to beekeepers and beekeepers’ organisations;
b) investments in tangible and intangible assets, as well as other assets, also for the purposes of:
i) fight against attackers and hive diseases, in particular varroasis;
(ii) prevention of damage caused by adverse weather conditions and promotion of the development and use of management practices adapted to changing climate conditions;
(iii) repopulation of the bee population in the Union, including bee keeping;
iv) rationalization of transhumance;
c) support actions for laboratories for the analysis of beekeeping products, the loss of bees, drops in productivity, potentially toxic substances for bees;
(d) actions aimed at maintaining or increasing the existing number of beehives in the Union, including bee keeping;
e) collaboration with bodies specialized in the implementation of research programs in the sectors of beekeeping and beekeeping products;
f) promotion, communication and marketing, including market monitoring actions and activities aimed in particular at raising consumer awareness of the quality of beekeeping products;
g) actions aimed at improving the quality of products.
Member States define the funding for the above interventions, in the national strategic plans for CAP, with specific justifications, in cooperation with representatives of organizations in the beekeeping sector. The amounts must not be less than the allocations established in the regulation (Annex X) and the contributions foreseen for the beneficiaries cannot exceed the expenses incurred by them. Member States must communicate to the Commission every year the number of hives present in their territory (see paragraph 2.4 below).
2) CAP strategic plans 2023-2027, additional requirements
Regulation (EU) No 2022/126 establishes:
- additional requirements in relation to interventions that Member States must specify in their CAP strategic plans 2023-2027 for the beekeeping sector
- specific rules for certain types of intervention
- provisions relating to beehives
- a list of expenses that cannot be covered by the CAP strategic plans
- a non-exhaustive list of expenses that can be covered in the beekeeping sector. (3)
2.1) Investments in tangible and intangible assets
Investments in fixed assets tangible and intangible, if included in the CAP national strategic plans for the beekeeping sector, must be used according to the nature, objectives and intended use of the beneficiary and, where relevant, in the approved operational programme.
They must remain the property of and in the possession of the beneficiary until the end of the tax depreciation period or for a period of at least five years which Member States must set taking into account the nature of the fixed assets. Each of the periods is calculated starting from the date of acquisition of the fixed asset or from the date on which it is made available to the beneficiary. (4)
Tangible fixed assets are carried out on the premises of the beneficiary or, if applicable, on the premises of its producer members or its subsidiaries that satisfy the 90% requirement (5). Member States may also provide for the beekeeping sector, in their CAP strategic plans, for tangible fixed assets carried out outside the beneficiary’s premises. (6)
2.2) Interventions linked to agro-climate-environmental objectives
Investments in beekeeping pursuing agro-climate-environmental objectives in the beekeeping sector postulate that Member States plan to achieve at least one of the following objectives:
- reduce environmental risks linked to the use of certain inputs or the production of certain residues, including plant protection products, fertilisers, manure or other animal waste;
- be linked to non-productive investments necessary to achieve agri-climate-environmental objectives, in particular where these objectives concern the protection of habitats and biodiversity;
- achieve the sustainable conservation, use and development of genetic resources; or contribute to the protection or improvement of the environment.
It is the responsibility of the Member States to ensure that beneficiaries provide evidence of the expected positive contribution to one or more environmental objectives when submitting the proposal for an operational programme, intervention or modification of such program or intervention. Such investments are also made on the beneficiary’s premises or in compliance with the 90% requirement, although in the beekeeping sector benefits may also be expected outside the beneficiary’s premises.
The implementation of interventions linked to agro-climate-environmental objectives requires that beneficiaries have access to the relevant knowledge and information necessary for their implementation, as well as to advice, assistance and training of farmers who commit to changing their production systems.
2.3) Conservation, sustainable use and development of genetic resources
Support from Member States which include in their respective CAP strategic plans interventions relating to the conservation, use and sustainable development of genetic resources in the agriculture and forestry sectors can take place exclusively in the form of:
- agro-climate-environmental commitments to preserve, on farms, breeds at risk of extinction and plant varieties threatened by genetic erosion; or
- support for activities for the conservation, use and sustainable development of genetic resources in the agriculture and forestry sectors.
The bees may be among the species of farmed animals supported by Member States, where certain local breeds are recognized as at risk of extinction, genetically adapted to one or more traditional production systems or environments in the reference Member State, and their at-risk condition is scientifically recognized by an organization possessing the necessary skills and knowledge regarding breeds at risk of extinction. (7)
The eligibility of support is recognized exclusively for local breeds for which the number, at a national level, of interested breeding females is indicated, in the presence of a duly recognized competent selection body that registers and keeps the breed’s herd book updated.
2.4) Rules for hives
The hive is defined as’the unit containing a colony of bees for the production of honey, other beekeeping products or reproductive material and all elements necessary for the survival of the bees’.
The hives present in the territories of the Member States, ready for wintering, are calculated every year on the basis of a reliable, consolidated method described in the respective CAP strategic plans, and must be communicated to the Commission by 15 June of each year (starting from 2023) .
2.5) Minimum contributions, eligible and non-eligible expense
The minimum contribution of the Union to the expenses related to the implementation of the types of intervention in the beekeeping sector, specified by the Member States in their respective CAP strategic plans, is equal to 30%. Eligible beekeeping expenses include:
- purchase of veterinary medicine products for the treatment of hive attackers and bee diseases;
- expenses associated with the repopulation of the bee population and the breeding of bees;
purchase of machinery and equipment for improving honey production and harvesting. (8)
Expenses related to: i) improvement of product quality; ii) biological control products (e.g. pheromones, predators) used in organic, integrated or traditional production; iii) agro-climatic interventions (see previous paragraph 2.2); iv) organic, integrated or experimental production; v) control of compliance with the rules of phytosanitary legislation and maximum residue levels, are also covered. (9)
Ineligible expenses include investments in means of transport used by the beneficiary in the beekeeping sector, together with other types of general expenses (e.g. operating costs of rented assets, taxes, interest on debts). (10) The types of expenditure covered by the types of intervention do not compensate the value added tax of the eligible expenditure incurred by the beneficiary, except in cases where it is not recoverable under national law.
3) Italy, national provisions for the beekeeping sector
In Italy, the decree of 30 November 2022 of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forests (MASAF)- as amended by the decree of 29 May 2023 of the same ministry which establishes, as part of the CAP Strategic Plan (PSP), the national beekeeping program for the five-year period 2023/2027 (11,12,13), in turn divided into subprograms defined by MASAF, and by the regions and autonomous provinces – defines national interventions in beekeeping (11,12,13).
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests (MASAF) chooses and allows the interventions defined in letters a, b, e, f of the aforementioned decree and, for each of them, defines actions that express a variable share of contribution from the public administration to the various beneficiaries. The financing benefits from the minimum Union contributions of 30% (see previous paragraph 2.5), while the remaining 70% is paid by the Revolving Fund (established pursuant to law no. 183/1987 (14).
The application for access to financing must be submitted via the National Agricultural Information System (SIAN) and requires that beekeepers comply with the obligations of identifying and registering hives. In the case of applications in associated forms, the members must in turn comply with the same rules and the bodies must be specialized in research in the beekeeping sector (15,16,17). Applications must be submitted no later than February 15th of each year, using the forms prepared by the paying agencies, which also have jurisdiction over controls and any sanctions.
3.1) 2025 beekeeping campaign
Labor taxes scheduled for the 2025 beekeeping campaign (1 August 2024 – 30 June 2025) are reported in departmental decree no. 428817 of MASAF (18). The total funds amount to €17.221.790, of which €5.166.537 from the FEAGA and €12.055.253 from the National Revolving Fund.
The contributions actually granted have been significantly reduced compared to the amounts requested by the Regions and Autonomous Provinces – whose notices are being published in the respective Regional Official Bulletins (ROB) – with the exception of Puglia, Sardinia and Valle D’Aosta (see Figure 3) .
The MASAF subprogram for beekeeping it has provided for the opening of a fund of €2.500.000, starting from the above resources, to be allocated to the following figures: (19)
- bodies specialized in beekeeping research, which demonstrate that they have proven continuous experience lasting at least five years in the beekeeping sector;
- associated forms as defined by the decree of 30 November 2022, n. 614768, which demonstrate that they possess suitable representativeness (20);
- aggregations of research bodies and/or sector associations (ATI) mentioned above.
The goals of the strategic subprogram are shown below:
- improvement of the quality of honey and valorisation of beekeeping products on the market;
- defense of beekeeping and bees from pathologies and pollutants;
- production and market monitoring with processing and dissemination of information and production and economic factors useful to support companies and the development of strategic and management plans;
- research activities strictly aimed at improving beekeeping and overcoming existing critical issues, shared with beekeeping organisations.
3.2) 2026 beekeeping campaign
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forests (MASAF) has already defined the distribution, among the various Italian Regions and Autonomous Provinces, of funding for improving the production and marketing of beekeeping products – 2026 beekeeping campaign. (21)
The national census reported a significant reduction in the overall number of hives, which vice versa corresponds to an increase in the amounts requested by the Regions. Taking into account the amount to be kept for the MASAF subprogramme, also in this case the amount per region was significantly reduced, without any exclusion unlike the previous beekeeping campaign.
The total amount expected is 17.221.790 of which €5.166.537 from FEAGA and €12.055.253 from the National Revolving Fund, which includes the €2.500.000 for the MASAF 2026 subprogramme.
4) Common Agricultural Policy, the measures applied to the beekeeping sector
A report prepared by Deloitte, and published on the European Union website, offers an evaluation of the measures established in the Common Agricultural Policy to improve the general conditions for the production and marketing of beekeeping products, also taking into account the production and beekeeping sector market (22,23). In summary:
- the production of quality honey was supported by the CAP (often vital for some producers), helping to mitigate adverse effects due to pathologies (e.g. varroasis, American foulbrood) and international competition with honey imported from third countries (the which remain necessary to satisfy demand in the EU). There is also an appreciable diversification towards other beekeeping products (e.g. pollen, royal jelly);
- the diffusion of good beekeeping practices among professionals and amateurs has made it possible to promote the control of varroa as well as to carry out adequate and profitable interventions for pollination activities. In general, beekeeping activities have been promoted and often integrated with other agricultural activities;
- the involvement of non-professional figures is still limited, despite the funds available, as is the dissemination of the results of EU-funded research to beekeepers, in particular on the health of bees and their exposure to pesticides;
- the bureaucracy connected to the request and disbursement of the funding provided for by the national plans varies significantly in the different member countries, although the objectives defined for beekeeping are consistent with the measures envisaged by the CAP.
5) Italy, further national measures
The MASAF decree March 5, 2024 defines the criteria and the distribution of resources available on the Protection Fund (established by the 2021 budget law and refinanced for the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 by the 2022 budget law), for the relaunch of the national beekeeping and other sectors, such as brewery, hemp and nuts. (24)
The latest resources however, were only allocated to the nut supply chain, according to the operating instructions published by AGEA, since the beekeeping supply chain has already received the allocation of €7.750.000, of which €6.950.000 by decree of 20 July 2022 (Allocation of funds to support the beekeeping supply chain) and €800.000 assigned to the four Technical Reference Centers (CRT) of the beekeeping supply chain, again for 2022. (25)
The CRTs are aggregations of technical, organizational and scientific aspects for the provision of specialist technical assistance services in beekeeping and were activated following the adoption of the reference scheme for planning initiatives in the beekeeping sector. (26) The four CRTs deal respectively with:
- pollutants in beekeeping practices, environmental and nutritional problems;
- fight against bee diseases, with particular attention to the specific problems related to the management of farms according to organic beekeeping methods;
- market and production dynamics;
- protection of the Ligustica and Sicilian Apis mellifera.
6) Provisional conclusions
The resources provided to Italy for the beekeeping sector are important, in line with those defined in the Common Agricultural Policy and with the national beekeeping programme. The resources requested by the Regions and Autonomous Provinces are also increasing, also in the face of the progressive reduction in the number of hives, and therefore remain unsatisfied in a non-negligible proportion.
The expected contributions are moreover linked to the declarations presented at national level and communicated to the European Commission. The declaration of the actual number of hives managed by beekeepers (professional and otherwise) is therefore essential to guarantee the adequacy of funding, as well as integrating a legal duty.
The available resources must be requested (and granted) by individual beekeepers and beekeeping associations (or other associated forms), to encourage and stimulate entry into the sector and the adoption of good beekeeping practices capable of guaranteeing a high level of animal welfare, respect for the environment and qualitative and quantitative production of honey and other beekeeping products on national and European territory.
Dario Dongo and Andrea Adelmo Della Penna
Footnotes
(1) Regulation (EU) no. 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 17 December 2013, establishing the common organization of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Regulations (EEC) no. 922/72, (EEC) n. 234/79, (EC) n. 1037/2001 and (EC) n. 1234/2007 of the Council. http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/1308/oj
(2) Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021 laying down rules on support for strategic plans to be drawn up by Member States under the common agricultural policy (CAP strategic plans) and financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and repealing Regulations (EU) No. 1305/2013 and (EU) n. 1307/2013. http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/2115/oj
(3) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/126 of 7 December 2021 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council with additional requirements for certain types of interventions specified by Member States in their strategic plans of the CAP for the period from 2023 to 2027 under that Regulation, as well as for the percentage rules for Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) Standard 1. http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2022/126/oj
(4) Member States may provide for a shorter period during which the fixed asset remains the property and possession of the beneficiary, but this period must not be less than three years in order to maintain the investments or jobs created by the micro-enterprises or small and medium-sized enterprises (in accordance with Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC).
(5) 90% of the shares or capital of the branch belong to aa) one or more producer organisations, associations of producer organisations, transnational producer organisations, transnational associations of producer organizations or producer groups; or (b) with the prior consent of the Member State, to producer members of the producer organisation, association of producer organisations, transnational producer organisation, transnational association of producer organizations or producer group, pursuing one of the specific purposes envisaged by the CMO regulation.
(6) If the investment is made on land rented under particular national rules on property, the requirement relating to ownership of the beneficiary may not apply provided that the fixed asset has been in the possession of the beneficiary for at least the period tax depreciation or at least five years.
(7) As defined in art. 2, paragraph 24 of the reg. (EU) 2016/2012 (Animal Reproduction Regulation).
(8) The complete list of eligible types of expenditure is shown in Annex III of the Reg. delegate (EU) 2022/126.
(9) Specific expenditure means additional costs, expressed as the difference between conventional production costs and actual costs incurred, and loss of income resulting from an action excluding additional revenue and cost savings.
(10) The complete list of ineligible types of expenditure is shown in Annex II of the Reg. delegate (EU) 2022/126.
(11) Decree of 30 November 2022. National provisions implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 on the strategic plans of the common agricultural policy, as regards interventions in favor of the beekeeping sector. https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2023/02/13/23A00859/sg
(12) Decree of 29 May 2023. Amendment of the decree of 30 November 2022, which establishes the national provisions implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021, laying down rules on support for strategic plans which Member States must draw up within the framework of the common agricultural policy (CAP strategic plans) and financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Regulations (EU) No . 1305/2013 and (EU) n. 1307/2013, regarding interventions in favor of the beekeeping sector. https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2023/07/24/23A04141/sg
(13) See https://www.reterurale.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/24037
(14) Law 16 April 1987, n. 183. Coordination of policies regarding Italy’s membership of the European Communities and adaptation of the internal system to community regulatory acts. https://www.normattiva.it/eli/id/1987/05/13/087U0183/CONSOLIDATED
(15) See https://www.sian.it/comumiele/index.xhtml
(16) The identification and registration of apiaries, hives and nuclei must be carried out between 1 November and 31 December of each year, through the National Database (BDN) of the Veterinary Information System, pursuant to Legislative Decree. lgs. n. 134/2022 and the provisions of the I&R manual, referred to in the decree of 7 March 2023.
(17) The associated forms may purchase, for the purposes of distribution to their members, the materials, equipment and various equipment provided for by the decree for a minimum period of one year for biological material and three years for hives, equipment, systems, machinery, instruments and furnishings for rooms for specific use, without prejudice to the provisions of the individual regions and autonomous provinces on the matter. The biological material (nuclei, packages of bees, queen bees) admitted must be accompanied by certification issued by CREA certifying that the bees belong to the native subspecies Apis mellifera ligustica, Apis mellifera siciliana (only Sicily), Apis mellifera carnica (only Friuli- Venezia Giulia and border areas in Veneto and the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano), Apis mellifera mellifera (only Liguria).
(18) Departmental Decree no. 428817 of 25 August 2023. Distribution of funding from the five-year national program for improving the production and marketing of beekeeping products – 2025 beekeeping campaign.
(19) Directorial decree n. 201791 of 7 May 2024. Distribution of the sums allocated for the execution of the ministerial subprogram of the National Beekeeping Plan and related tender for access to funding, for the period 1 July 2024-30 June 2025. https://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/21467
(20) The representativeness of the associated forms of beekeepers is calculated on the basis of the data of only the associated beekeepers resulting from the declarations in the Beekeeping Registry of the previous year (e.g. 2023 for the 2024 tender referring to the 2025 beekeeping campaign).
(21) Departmental Decree no. 268392 of 14 June 2024. Distribution of funding from the five-year national program for improving the production and marketing of beekeeping products – 2026 beekeeping campaign. https://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/21686
(22) European Commission – Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (2013) Evaluation of measures for the apiculture sector – Final report. Publications Office of the European Union. https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/e2fc010d-4e1c-4e2b-8425-681fae90a3cf
(23) European Commission – Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (2013) Evaluation of measures for the apiculture sector – Executive summary. Publications Office of the European Union. https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/f3fc48e8-7b88-4351-9218-229255fce445
(24) Decree of 5 March 2024. Definition of the criteria and methods for allocating the resources available on the Fund for the protection and relaunch of the beekeeping, brewery, hemp and nut supply chains. https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2024/05/21/24A02504/sg
(25) AGEA operating instructions n. 82. https://www.agea.gov.it/portale-apigw/documents/d/agea/agea-2024-0049960-allegato-istruzionioperativen82del20062024-fruttaaguscio2024_signed
(26) See https://www.reterurale.it/downloads/documenti/Docu_Apicoltura_def.pdf
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Graduated in Food Technologies and Biotechnologies, qualified food technologist, he follows the research and development area. With particular regard to European research projects (in Horizon 2020, PRIMA) where the FARE division of WIISE Srl, a benefit company, participates.
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