World Bee Day: Interview with Slovenian Member of the European Parliament and beekeeper Franc Bogovič

In celebration of World Bee Day, FAO Brussels invited Franc Bogovič, Slovenian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and of the European Parliamentary Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition – and a beekeeper himself – to share his insights from a long tradition of working with bees.

“My grandfather was a beekeeper. I really enjoyed listening to him when he explained to us kids how important bees are for pollinating the fruit trees on his farm. Later while studying agronomy, I finally realized that the existence of humanity depends on the existence of bees because of their importance for pollination.”

Today, Bogovič’s son carries on the family custom of beekeeping. “Our family cultivates three hectares of apple trees, and our hills today depend on my son’s bees,” he explained.

He noted that the world has been celebrating the day since 2018, thanks to the efforts of the Government of Slovenia, where beekeeping is valued as a long-standing tradition and an important agricultural activity.

For more, watch the video messages from MEP Franc Bogovič on:

-          The history of beekeeping in Slovenia and its role in the establishment of World Bee Day

-          The importance of bees for food production and biodiversity

This year’s observance of World Bee Day, the fourth since its inception, included a virtual event under the theme “Bee Engaged – Build Back Better for Bees,” with the participation of the FAO Director-General and high-level speakers from the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and from Member States.

More information about the event is available here.

More resources on the importance of pollinators are available here.