Thank you.
Given that we come from Quebec and that our mother tongue is French, I will make my opening remarks in French, if that is not a problem for you. I will start by describing the situation of the bee-keeping industry in Quebec. I will also make some recommendations.
The Fédération des apiculteurs du Québec was established in 1979, its mission is to advocate for the economic and social interests of its members. The federation is in fact the main lever of the bee-keeping sector in Quebec. Its goals consist in providing support and assistance to producers in Quebec in order to sustain and develop a bee-keeping industry that has the tools it needs to face current and future challenges within its environment and its sector.
In 2003, we suffered losses due to the varroa parasite. Since then, beekeepers have had to continue to adapt to new work methods in order to remain competitive. In 2007, there was another very significant loss of bees due to the varroa parasite and other factors that further aggravated an already precarious situation, which led to a decrease in our stocks. The difficult task of constantly rebuilding our stocks of bees undermines the development of bee-keeping and its ability to flourish. These problems have occurred in Quebec and throughout Canada. This is a major problem for the whole country.
In the spring of 2008, there was better news about bee losses than the past few years. Despite a rather hard winter, the colonies were relatively healthy in the spring. We hope that this will continue, with mother nature's permission.
The colony collapse disorder (CCD), has caused enormous losses in the United States. We don't think it is in Quebec or in Ontario. However, veterinarians are strongly advising us to report any suspicious diseases. In Quebec, we have about 30,000 bee colonies. Normally, our potential would be around 50,000 and 60,000 colonies. There is a very strong demand for pollination, for example, for blueberries in the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region, as well as for other small fruits, vegetables and cranberries.
Approximately 40% of the food supply is linked to bees, directly or indirectly. If one extrapolates, one could even include dairy producers who provide their animals with legumes that have been pollinated by bees. In Quebec, the economic benefits are about $150 million for various crops, and there are 780 to $800 million per year for Canada. These are not insignificant numbers.
The main problems we are facing in Quebec are these: insufficient marketing and labelling, as well as diseases. For two years, the federation has been trying to organize this sector with joint plans and with 100% Quebec honey certification, in order to find solutions to the various problems that Quebec beekeepers face. Quebec produces approximately 20 to 25% of the honey it consumes. Usually, there are between 700,000 and one million pounds of honey annually in beekeepers warehouses. This is ridiculous. We can't have these kinds of honey surpluses when we're only producing 20% of what we're consuming.
The main problems that came out of our consultations with producers were mainly linked to bee health: viruses, diseases, parasites, and so on.
The price of honey is an equally important problem: foreign honey coming into Canada is significantly cheaper than the Canadian cost of production. For example, in Quebec, we produce honey at a cost of $1.75 per pound, whereas Argentinian honey coming into Canada costs 85¢ a pound.
Current labeling does not indicate the true provenance of the products that have been purchased. There has been a lot of debate around the label « Canada No. 1 » and this debate continues. This label is often on the front of the container but it is simply an indication of grade not of origin. On the back of the container, in very small letters it might say « Product of Argentina » or « contains some Canadian honey », but without a magnifying glass, you cannot read these words. This is misleading to the consumer. We are therefore asking the Government of Canada to show leadership on the issue of labelling.
A door recently opened after several representations from the agricultural sector were made. However, the work has to continue. As I mentioned, the label « Canada No. 1 » is a grading category. Something has to be done about this.
With respect to the environment, unfortunately we can only note that bees are encountering more and more problems; they are sending us some very troubling messages. More and more, diseases, viruses and malnutrition are daily problems. The environment is deteriorating and we all know that if there are no more bees, we will soon have a food shortage. Coated seeds, transgenic seeds, and other issues are a big problem for us. Monoculture and biofuels are not helpful either: there are less and less honey-producing plants that the bees can use to make their honey. If bees do not make honey, they will not have the food they need to develop. If we lose the bees, we lose the whole cycle of pollination, which would have very significant consequences for agriculture in Quebec and Canada.
Research is helping producers find solutions to theses situations that are becoming more and more frequent within the Quebec beekeeping industry. Often it is a series of factors that weaken, or infect people and plants, and because of this the federation is involved with various partners, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in Quebec (MAPAQ), the SEDAC and the Centre de recherche en sciences animales in Deschambault (CRESAD). Researchers often make research applications. It is the federation that looks for the necessary funding for this.
We are considering a joint plan that would make all beekeepers who are benefiting from the research realize that they all have to pay for this research. There are approximately 375 beekeepers in Quebec. Our federation represents between 175 and 200 beekeepers who pay contributions for the purposes of research, however everyone benefits.
In Quebec, we are fortunate enough to have a research centre with an experimental hive. I am certain that this is the only experimental beekeeping centre in all of Canada with its own hives. Some of the hives in the experimental centre at Deschambault belong to our Federation. That gives a considerable amount of flexibility to the researchers and it has been made possible thanks to the efforts of partners such as the CRESAD, MAPAQ and the Federation.
With its financial support programs, we believe that the federal government can make access easier to beekeeping researchers and make beekeeping a priority. The federal government must ensure that the agencies responsible for registering pesticides and authorizing their use, work in collaboration with the beekeeping sector. Concrete action is urgent so that pollinating insects, including bees, can be protected. The very existence of several agricultural sectors depends on this, including beekeeping.
We are also working with the Union des producteurs agricoles on a food sovereignty project. This is a project that is important for the whole agricultural sector in Quebec and Canada. We also believe that the new government can help by enforcing the strict food inspection and labelling roles. The food crisis makes the food sovereignty project even more important because it makes countries aware of the importance of having a productive and strong agricultural sector.
Thank you for your interest in the beekeeping situation in Quebec. Bees are an important component of agriculture in general and through their work, they provide us with healthy and natural products. It is essential for them to be protected and governments, through their messages, programs, actions and legislation, can contribute to protecting bees and pollinators in general. Their extension would lead to the disappearance or scarcity of several fruits, vegetables and plants. There could be major damage inflicted on the fauna and flora of the country.