They are looking for authority over the “Tatar bee” – Kommersant Kazan

Tatarstan may initiate restrictions on apiaries due to the threat to the lives of people who are allergic to bee stings. As Kommersant-Kazan learned, a draft federal law on this was submitted to the State Council of Tatarstan by United Russia deputy Marat Galiev. He referred to the practice when courts prohibit beekeeping activities on the property next door to an allergy sufferer. Farmers remind that a bee flies up to 3 km. They believe that the restriction will lead to a reduction in beekeeping in the republic, which is already suffering damage due to the increasing incidence of mass death of bees due to the treatment of fields with chemicals.

The draft amendments to the federal law “On beekeeping in the Russian Federation” were submitted to the State Council of Tatarstan by United Russia deputy Marat Galiev (heads the Association of Industrial Waste Management Operators and is the president of the Federation of Backgammon of Tatarstan). He proposed adding Art. 13 of the law contains a clause prohibiting the placement of apiaries in “the immediate vicinity of the place of residence of citizens” who have “medical indications (conclusion) about an allergic reaction to bee stings.” According to Mr. Galiev’s proposal, individuals and legal entities will be required to build apiaries only “taking into account the interests of the safety of citizens” with allergies, so that they can “freely and unhindered” use their land plots.

In the explanatory note, the deputy notes that currently the federal law does not contain such requirements. To organize an apiary, it is enough to follow veterinary rules. At the same time, Marat Galiev believes that “human life and health are of paramount value.”

He emphasizes that according to the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, “the owner may demand the elimination of any violations of his rights.”

Marat Galiev cites judicial practice when people who are allergic to bee stings, or members of their families, filed claims against the owners of apiaries. The courts, as the deputy points out, agreed that the breeding and keeping of bees – flying, stinging insects – “poses a real danger to the life and health” of the plaintiffs. Among other things, the deputy cites the decisions of the judicial panel for civil cases of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, which recognized as legal the demands to stop beekeeping activities near land plots where people with allergies live. The panel of judges spoke about the right of “the plaintiffs to freely, unhindered and without fear of being stung by bees to use the land plot that belongs to them.”

“Bee stings pose a real threat to the health and life of citizens who have medical indications (conclusion) of an allergic reaction to bee venom. The composition of bee venom differs among different breeds of bees, but the effect on the human body is the same,” Marat Galiev writes in the explanatory note to the bill. He reminds that victims of a sting may experience “insect allergic reactions to a bee sting such as urticaria, Quincke’s edema, angioedema, bronchospasm and other associated diseases.”

The parliamentarian cites statistics from the Ministry of Health of Tatarstan, according to which in 2021, 810 people came to the republic’s hospitals with complaints of stings from bees, hornets and wasps. Of these, 504 people had allergic reactions. In 2022, there were 1,042 such complaints (576 from people with allergies). As of August 1, 2023, the Ministry of Health recorded 880 requests, including 482 from people with allergies.

Marat Galiev is confident that his bill is aimed at “strengthening guarantees for the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens who have allergic reactions to bee stings.” “Placing an apiary on a neighboring plot of land creates a threat to their health and life, and prevents them from fully and safely using the houses and land they own,” the parliamentarian sums up. The deputy does not predict the onset of “negative socio-economic, financial and other consequences of the implementation” of his proposal.

In Tatarstan, in the beekeeping register, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic, at the beginning of 2022 there were 11.4 thousand apiaries with 206.5 thousand bee families. The largest number of apiaries are registered in Aznakaevsky, Arsky, Kukmorsky, Nizhnekamsky, Nurlatsky and Sarmanovsky districts. Pedigree beekeeping is also being developed in Tatarstan, supporting those who breed the “Tatar bee” (bee of the Central Russian breed of the Tatar population), since there is a threat of its extinction. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food reported that this summer, a massive death of bees was recorded in eight regions, including due to the treatment of fields with chemicals.

Marat Galiev’s bill has not yet been considered by the relevant committee of the State Council. If the deputies of the republic support the initiative of their colleague, the document will be sent for consideration by the State Duma.

“Medicine really says that there are more people with allergies. But I don’t think that in judicial practice there are many decisions to close apiaries,” Kamiyar Baitemirov, chairman of the Association of Farmers and Peasant Farmsteads of Tatarstan, told Kommersant-Kazan. He noted that “people always kept bees” and “the neighbors somehow got along.” According to him, there are “opportunities to protect neighbors from bee stings.” “Of course, it’s unpleasant when bees sting. But it’s nice to sit with a cup of tea with honey,” added Mr. Baitemirov.

According to the head of the association, if restrictions are introduced on apiaries, “there will be fewer beekeepers.” “Bees fly. The radius can reach 3 km. It turns out that any bee can sting someone,” says Kamiyar Baitemirov. He noted that recently the number of bees in the republic has been declining due to “the use of all kinds of pesticides, pesticides, and herbicides.” “And scientists say that with the death of the last bee, humanity will disappear,” concluded Mr. Baitemirov.

Kirill Antonov