Ich bedanke mich bei der Mitgliederversammlung der Apimondia für die Möglichkeit, mich als Kandidat für das Amt des Vizepräsidenten vorzustellen. Da es aufgrund der Redezeitbegrenzung auf 2 Minuten nicht möglich war, eine politische Rede zu halten, möchte ich sie nun hier veröffentlichen.
Jürgen Binder – Germany
Dear Members of Apimondia
Today, I would like to express my gratitude for the opportunity to present my candidacy for Vice-President to the Apimondia General Assembly. As I only learned immediately before my performance that the speaking time was limited to two minutes and that only an introduction was possible, but not a political speech, I would like to publish the unspoken speech here. I congratulate my esteemed colleague Peter Kozmus on his election and wish him an excellent third term in office.
Please feel free to comment on: praesident@neuer-imkerbund.de
Unspoken Application speech for Vicepresident,
Copenhagen September 24/2025
Dear colleagues,
Presidents and friends,
Dear Jeff, Peter and Riccardo,
The biennial World Conference is a wonderful event with great potential. Are we making the most of this potential?
Our meeting comes at a time of great crisis for our beekeeping world.
For years, we the producers have been suffering from honey prices that are so low that they do not even cover production costs, and not at all generating profits. Our good honey, of which we are so proud, can no longer compete because it has to compete with syrups that are traded for a dollar or less on the international market.
As we have not yet succeeded in establishing testing methods to detect fraud, this fake honey is flooding the market and forcing beekeepers worldwide into a struggle for survival. For many of us, not only in Germany or Europe, even for beekeeping worldwide: It is a question of our survival. In some countries where we are paied for our pollination services, beekeeping may still be viable. But wherever beekeepers make their living from selling their honey, the life as a Beekeepier is nearly impossible.For all of us, however the political mindset is, is it inacceptable to attack other countries.
It is, of course, unacceptable for states to attack other states and, for whatever reason, to use violence and wage war. At the same time, we have to note that Ukraine is in the moment exporting more than it did before the attack. How is this possible?
Many beehives have been destroyed and many beekeepers are on the front line. Last week, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) stated that it is not carrying out any checks in Ukraine. Why some Presidents and some Ministers can visit the Ukraine but Members of OLAF can not?
Despite rising exports, also our Ukrainian beekeeping friends are unable to sell their honey at a decent price. So the conclusion is, that they owe some companies smuggeling fake honey – lets call them sugarsyrups in future – into the European Union while using the unacceptable situation oft the Ukrain for their dirty business.
It’s a crime!
In recent months, the EPBA has uncovered how some profiteers are selling Chinese syrups to European honey traders, claiming that they would pass the current controls in Europe. Using two different DNA testing methods, the investigation has shown that around 80 per cent of the honey which is sold in German supermarkets is adulterated.
Of course, a smear campaign immediately began to discredit the work of the EPBA – our work. However, since the German television made this scandal public, the group of German honey fraudsters is now struggling to explain itself. And some well known figures are useful helpers in this dirty business.
(https://youtu.be/Gh-N5L-D3C4?si=Afyux2rAjgmZAddo)
Our full solidarity goes to our Chinese beekeeping colleagues.
But a fraudulent clique that is destroying the price of honey and thus endangering apiaries and specialist beekeeping shops worldwide must be stopped, otherwise Apimondia will soon cease to exist.
We have watched now this phenomenon for too long, and it should have been Apimondia’s job to uncover this and to stop this global fraud much earlier. That is why we must enable Apimondia to represent the interests of all of. We the beekeepers must be in the first place, and all oft the parties who are involved in this case of fraud must be expelled – kicked off – from our Apimondia.In addition to the widespread honey fraud, the approval and assessment of toxicity to bees remains an open question. As soon as pesticides are used in mixtures, there is a lack of knowledge, and as a result we see weakened bee colonies, dead bees in front of the hives and a decline in the productivity of our colonies.
Those who use insecticides want to kill insects. The Conventional agriculture is still using too many pesticides.
The simple demand for ‘more research’ continues to prolong the business model of the pesticide industry. We only can protect our bees and other pollinating insects if we declare to the conventional agriculture: Enough is enough!
We should only give our cooperation to this agriculture-friends which treat our Bees and us as equal partner in securing their and so our harvests. Only then will agriculture and beekeeping form a unity. We must no longer be satisfied with meaningles chatter.
How can we solve these problems?
We should regard Apimondia as an association that represents our interests worldwide. This conference is a wonderful and important element in this task, but Apimondia must be enabled to work professionally all year round. Either an office of full-time staff must be established, or the board and individual members of the scientific advisory boards must be remunerated for their work, better both. It is possible to work on a voluntary basis for the local level. But this is not effective possible at the national and international level.
We must also be in a position to defend the intellectual property rights to our bee breeding programmes as soon as international companies attempt to wrest them from our hands.
This conference itself should also be reformed. Where are the presentations by competent beekeepers for beekeepers? Only the scientific world is invited to submit some papers, why not beekeeping professionals?
If we want more beekeeper to attend, we should alter the program. But there is another question: Is the entrance fee is too high?
Furthermore: The general assembly is far too short to really form an opinion of the members. We need more opportunities for exchange, inspiration and discussion.
The conflict surrounding the cancellation in Tanzania is representative of the problem of a lack of transparency and communication.
So what need to be done?
1. We need an office with permanent professional staff who not only take care of the administration but also represent our organisation in the political area.
2. The board must also be compensated. I expect the representatives to be present at all important international conferences and to influence the decision-making processes and persons.
3. In order to pay for the work, sponsors must be found to provide initial funding. Professional fundraising must be furtheron used to raise funds to do our work.
4. The organisation of Apimondia works perfectly thanks to the agency commissioned to do so. We would like to emphasise this positively and express our appreciation for the PCO.
At the same time, the contract should be revised. It is unacceptable to us that the agency should share in the profits from the conference. This will lead to all tasks that are not directly related to the running of the conference being rejected. It would be to increase the base amount of compensation for the agency.
I also consider many other details of the contract to be counterproductive. Please revise this contract with the PCO and the bidders!
5. Why is it not possible to reduce the admission prices? It is also a problem for Apimondia itself if its main income comes from the conference held every two years. I would like this conference to become not only a showcase for scientific expertise, but also a recurring celebration for beekeepers, an encouragement for everyone and an appreciation of the immense problems that each and every one of us has to overcome in the course of a year.
With our bees, we are the guardians of biodiversity. Let us now empower
Apimondia to advocate for fair trade and a future of beekeeping.
Thank you for your attention.
