EFSA calls for coordination of bee research

A research network and a centralised open database on bee health are needed to better study bee losses, the European Food Safety Authority has said.

A report published by EFSA on 13 March argues that closer cooperation between EU agencies, member states and researchers is needed to understand the factors affecting bee health, describing existing efforts as at times fragmentary and overlapping.

EFSA is calling for the establishment of a network comprising the European Commission’s Bee Interservice Group, the European Reference Laboratory for Bee Health, plus member state bodies and other EU agencies.