On 20 December 2024, Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina visited the Beekeeping Association of Slovenia (ČZS) and supported its efforts to protect fundamental human rights, especially the right to health and a healthy living environment. He highlighted the growing problem of counterfeit food, which threatens consumer health, undermines the food chain, and has devastating consequences for agriculture, the environment, and biodiversity.
"Counterfeit food is increasingly common on the market and directly threatens people's health, while at the same time undermining the integrity of the food chain. Consumers often do not even know that they are consuming products of dubious origin, which can have a negative impact on their health," the Ombudsman emphasised. He added that the issue of counterfeit food not only poses a risk to individuals, but is also an additional burden on the health system, which will have to deal with the consequences of long-term consumption of such food.
Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina supports the efforts of the Beekeeping Association of Slovenia and European Beekeeping Association (EBA) to protect agriculture and beekeeping from unfair competition, without which it is impossible to maintain a healthy food chain. He advocates the establishment of appropriate control mechanisms that will prevent the spread of counterfeit products on the market. In his opinion, supporting local farmers and beekeepers and raising consumer awareness of the importance of choosing quality food is essential in efforts to ensure that future generations live healthily and in a healthy living environment.
Ombudsman Peter Svetina is convinced that the protection of bees and agriculture is not only a national, but also an international challenge that requires the joint efforts of all countries and their human rights institutions. This week, the European Network of National Institutions for Human Rights (ENNHRI) therefore called for wider cooperation and an international effort to protect beekeeping and prevent the entry of counterfeit food into the market. He is convinced that ENNHRI members in their countries can contribute to the protection of these rights with their influence, which enables awareness-raising, promoting dialogue, and advocating more effective policies to protect the rights to health, a healthy environment, and the integrity of food systems.
President of ČZS and EBA Boštjan Noč pointed out, among other things, the alarming situation in beekeeping. "Due to unfair competition from counterfeit honey, fewer and fewer people around the world are dedicating themselves to beekeeping, which leads to a decrease in the number of bees. Without bees, the entire ecosystem suffers, as proper pollination of plants is not possible, which affects agriculture and biodiversity. This also reduces the possibilities for the production of quality agricultural products, which is also reflected in the food chain," Noč said.
The Human Rights Ombudsman underscored that without protection of beekeeping, it is not possible to maintain a healthy food chain. Bees also play an important role in mitigating climate change, the consequences of which are getting worse every year, he said. The President of the ČZS and EBA, Boštjan Noč, pointed out that Slovenia has been actively promoting the importance of bees for many years. "We succeeded in having the United Nations declare 20 May as World Bee Day seven years ago," reminded the President of the ČZS, Boštjan Noč, during the visit of Ombudsman Peter Svetina, who also believes that more must be done at the national level to protect bees and biodiversity.
Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina and the President of the Beekeeping Association of Slovenia agreed that only with the broad and active cooperation of countries, institutions, and consumers and the appropriate normative framework can it be ensured that future generations will enjoy the right to a healthy and safe living environment and access to quality food, with a stable food chain.