Underscoring that one in three spoonfuls of food depends on pollination by bees, the Beekeepers Association said the state should secure EUR 5 per hive to all beekeepers.

Due to rainy and unseasonably cold weather, this year's honey output has only reached about 20% of the average annual harvest. What is worse, the bees had to be fed sugar to survive.

Head of the Beekeepers' Association Boštjan Noč told a news conference in Lukovica today that some areas had not had any honey at all this year and elsewhere the harvest was poor.

"It's not just that there's no honey, the weather conditions have not even allowed for the development of bees. They have been on sugar the whole year, which means they won't be fit enough to survive the winter."

Noč said the time had come for politicians to proceed from words to action as they had been talking about the importance of beekeeping and about the need to preserve the native Carniolan honey bee.

The proposed aid of EUR 5 per hive would suffice for nine kilos of sugar, which Noč said was 70% of what a hive needs during winter.

Meanwhile, the association is also proposing waiving taxes and social contributions for the beekeepers who are on the brink.

There are around 8,000 beekeepers tending about 150,000 hives in Slovenia.

Their association addressed letters with appeal for help to parliamentary parties and the Agriculture Ministry and is due to meet Minister Dejan Židan on Friday.

Noč was critical of the ministry for being uncooperative, while he also expressed disappointment with the response of the Party of Miro Cerar (SMC), which is not planning to see them until after 15 September.