"Bees mainly visit entomophilous plants, some of which are GMOs, such as canola and sunflower. The genes of the genetically modified rapeseed and corn will enter the bees mainly through the pollen, they will also end up in the bee products, and it is impossible not to have an impact on human health," Iliya Tsonev, a beekeeper and member of the Bulgarian National Scientific Association for beekeeping.
"Bees are the most affected because they come into direct contact with GMOs, are small in size, and are easily affected by the changes. The prospect they would face is hardly a happy one," added the expert.
The BGNES team also spoke with lawyer Mariana Hristova from GMO-free Bulgaria. "Bees will be particularly affected if the current restrictions on the import, cultivation, and processing of genetically modified crops are eased. "One way with the fact that they pollinate the plants, spread the infection, and infect all the surrounding fields, which is around the GMO, and on the other hand, it affects their health because they die," explained Mariana Hristova.
She also commented that the EC regulation to ease the current restrictions on genetically modified crops in the EU countries also has negative economic consequences. "From an economic point of view, if the EC regulation is adopted in the EU to ease the existing restrictions on genetically modified crops, the livestock and grain production sectors will be most affected, because traditionally our grain production and our animals are exported to countries that have strict requirements that the animals are not fed with GMO fodder, as well as that the grain is not GMO", believes Hristova.
She commented that if the regulation comes into force and the new GMOs are not labeled, we will not be able to prove that our produce is not GMO. "From there on, the prices of Bulgarian products will drop drastically and we will lose traditional markets. The impact on people's health has never even been studied," Mariana Hristova emphasized.
On December 14th, she called on our Minister of the Environment in the EU and led her not to vote "abstain", but to be categorically against the introduction of the new regulation, and in addition to it, our state power should also be against it. "We want the state policy of restriction, control, and protection of human health to continue," Hristova is emphatic./BGNES
