The EcoHoney Conference was held on the 13th of April at The Malta Chamber in Valletta. Its objective was to introduce the project to a wider audience and launch free educational materials and training courses on sustainable beekeeping and honey production.

A presentation was delivered on the EcoHoney E-Learning Platform by projects executive Owen Bell. This segment provided an essential introduction to the broader EcoHoney project, what it set out to achieve, and how it aimed to do so. Furthermore, it also featured a live demonstration of the digital handbooks and courses designed for the platform, with the aim to provide a free course on beekeeping principles; namely focusing on sustainable and organic principles in apiculture.

Shortly after, Dylan Farrugia from the Foundation for the Conservation of the Maltese Honeybee gave a presentation on the importance of the local Maltese honeybee, and what can be done to protect it.  He stressed that this species is currently under threat from the importation of non-native bees, which leads to crossbreeding and the dilution of the local species. To address these challenges, the Foundation called for a mix of legislative protection, academic research, and community involvement.

Moreover, the agenda also facilitated a collaborative panel discussion featuring representatives from the Malta Beekeepers Association (Jorge Spiteri), Merill Rural Network (Christian Borg), the Malta Food Agency (Justin John Camilleri), and Royal Bee (Rebecca Busuttil). This discussion highlighted different themes surrounding apiculture in Malta, giving the audience some insight into just how impactful apiculture is, within the local context, from the eyes of producers, public sector representatives and other stakeholders.

Before the event’s official closing, local beekeeper Ray Sciberras from Golden Island also hosted a showcase of honeybees and honey products for attendees. This helps to give local producers a platform whilst also highlighting the species itself, allowing the public eye to gain some insight into what goes on in the day-to-day life of a beekeeper.

EcoHoney is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the National Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.