EUROPEAN BEE LOVERS

forthcoming

The EUBeeLovers campaign is a 36-month promotional programme designed to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of the European beekeeping sector within the Belgian market. Coordinated by BeeLife European Beekeeping Coordination, an umbrella NGO representing beekeeping associations from 12 EU Member States, the project addresses the need to valorise European honey as the output of inherently sustainable EU beekeeping practices. Amidst challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and market pressure from imports, the proposal aligns directly with the AGRIP-MULTI-2025-IM-SUSTAINABLE topic by demonstrating how European honey production actively contributes to objectives that support and enhance sustainability in the EU agricultural sector. The General Objective is to increase the market share of European honey by highlighting its specific sustainable production methods, structured around three Specific Objectives: (O1) Increase awareness among Belgian consumers of European honey's intrinsic values including quality, diversity, traceability as a direct result of the sustainable methods of the European beekeeping sector; (O2) increase awareness among Belgian farmers of how sustainable beekeeping supports agriculture; and, ultimately (O3) to increase the value and market performance of sustainably produced European honey in Belgium. To achieve this, the project employs a multi-channel strategy targeting consumers, the agricultural community, and decision-makers through continuous public relations, digital engagement, high-level annual events, and the establishment of the ‘European Bee Lovers Network’ of local ambassadors. The expected impact, measured via KAP surveys and economic counterfactual analysis, includes increased consumer awareness of the sector's intrinsic sustainable values, increased farmer awareness of the benefits of beekeeping for other agricultural sectors, and a quantifiable economic return on investment from sales increase of EU honey products in the Belgian market. The campaign’s impacts are expected to foster a conscious market environment that supports the long-term viability of European beekeepers.