Honey bees are essential for global food security, biodiversity, and environmental sustainability, yet their welfare is still not adequately recognized within international animal welfare frameworks. This policy brief, prepared by members of the Apimondia Working Group on Good Veterinary Practice in Apiculture (AWG GVPA), highlights the urgent need for the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) to establish a dedicated Honey Bee Welfare Framework.
The document outlines the major challenges affecting honey bee colonies worldwide, including diseases, parasites, pesticides, environmental pressures, and inadequate management practices. It also emphasizes the importance of integrating One Welfare principles and modern welfare science into international standards for apiculture.
By proposing concrete recommendations for WOAH, this policy brief aims to strengthen honey bee health, improve veterinary involvement in apiculture, support sustainable agriculture, and protect pollination services that are vital for ecosystems and humanity.
We invite stakeholders, researchers, veterinarians, beekeepers, and policymakers to support this important initiative toward the development of the first international welfare framework dedicated specifically to honey bees.
