The Senate votes for a national plan against the Asian hornet "which involves all the actors"up to individuals
Cairo: Hani Kamal El-Din
“20, 40 or even 50% of hives are destroyed every year by the Asian hornet” in Lot-et-Garonne, exposed Friday April 12 on franceinfo Michel Masset, RDSE senator (made up of radicals and left-wing radicals), initiator of the text voted by the Senate which proposes a national plan to fight against the Asian hornet.
Arriving by accident in Lot-et-Garonne in 2004, “several thousand nests” are present in the department, he emphasizes. The damage is significant. “Which of course represents a very significant sum for beekeepers”he explained.
The presence of the Asian hornet on the national territory is first and foremost a “health danger”, but also an environmental danger: “The hornet disrupts ecosystems by attacking pollinating bees. The entire food chain is therefore impacted,” he continues. And then, it’s also “an economic danger, of course, since beekeepers are strongly impacted”.
The national plan, voted unanimously by senators, provides compensation for beekeepers with at least 50 hives. The damage caused by the Asian hornet costs 12 million euros per year in France: “The losses are very heavy. There is no insurance,” explained Michel Masset. A fund will be created. The compensation criteria will be clarified during the next debates in the National Assembly.
