Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Whelan for raising this issue. The value of honey produced in Ireland in 2014 was estimated at slightly over €3 million. The value fluctuates from year to year depending on the climatic conditions during the summer. There are almost 2,500 beekeepers in the country, over 56% of whom have three colonies or fewer while only 3% or approximately 70 beekeepers have more than 50 colonies. Only five beekeepers have over 150 colonies, which many would consider to be a commercial apiary.

Notwithstanding this scale of activity, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine fully appreciates the importance of beekeeping in Ireland. The value of bees as pollinators far exceeds their value as honey producers. In 2008, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government estimated the value of pollinators, including honey bees, for Irish food crops was at least €53 million. This does not include the value of pollinators in terms of non-food crops and maintaining bio-diversity in the wild.

One of the major issues facing beekeeping is that of bee health and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine recognises the importance of maintaining and further developing a healthy honey bee population and has devoted considerable effort to this. With this in mind, the signing into law of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 repealed the outdated Bee Pest Prevention Act 1908.

The Control of Animal Diseases Regulations 2014, SI 110 of 2014, lists six pests and diseases of bees of concern, including the small hive beetle. In response to the 2014 outbreak of small hive beetle in Italy, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine established a sentinel apiary programme earlier this year. Working with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, a similar programme has also been rolled out across Northern Ireland. This programme was established with the support of the Federation of Irish Beekeeping Associations and the Native Irish Honey Bee Society. Volunteer beekeepers in areas which are considered to represent greatest risk for the introduction of pests such as the small hive beetle, as well as other beekeepers are participating in this programme. Over 20 beekeepers providing a representative geographical spread across the country are involved. The sentinel apiary programme is designed with the objective of providing early notification in the event that any exotic pest or disease affecting honey bees arrives in Ireland. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine co-ordinates the programme and has provided equipment and guidelines to the beekeepers and also provides the diagnostic service to implement the programme.

In addition, a bee diagnostic service is operated from the Teagasc laboratories at Oakpark in Carlow. Analysis of some 300 samples for foul brood, nosema and varroa which are submitted by beekeepers each year are carried out and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is informed where a case of a notifiable disease is detected. Officials in the Department follow up, where appropriate.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine co-funds Ireland's national apiculture programme with 50% co-funding from the European Commission.The 2013-16 programme is due to run until August 2016 and is being implemented by the University of Limerick in collaboration with Teagasc Oakpark and NUI Maynooth. Funding of €70,000 per annum is available for the programme. The objectives of the current programme are: to monitor Irish over-winter colony losses during the period from 2014 to 2016 in collaboration with the international COLOSS network; assess the efficacy and tolerability of alternative varroa treatments under Irish conditions; establish the prevalence of pests and pathogens in Irish honeybee colonies and assess if the dark native honeybee has inherent resistant characteristics; and provide technical assistance to beekeepers and groupings of beekeepers.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine intends to engage with the Irish beekeeping associations shortly with a view to preparing plans for submission to the European Commission in early 2016. These plans will seek co-funding for a new national apiculture programme to cover the period 2016 to 2019. Appointment of bee health inspectors under this programme will be one of the issues for consideration in deciding the priorities in terms of Ireland's application for funding.

The Department also provides grant aid to beekeepers under the national horticultural grant scheme. The current scheme is advertised on the Department's website, with a closing date of 18 December 2015. In recognition of the smaller scale of beekeeping compared with other sectors of horticulture, a minimum investment of €2,000 is required compared to €10,000 for other areas of horticulture. Potential funding for beekeeping groups is also available from the Department under the scheme for conservation of genetic resources to develop breeding programmes and strategies to protect the dark native honeybee. The Department also provides an annual grant to the Federation of Irish Beekeepers' Associations, FIBKA. The objective is to assist FIBKA to meet its operating costs, thereby allowing the association to promote the craft of beekeeping among its members, and to inform the general public of the role of bees in our environment.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is also active in ensuring that imported and domestically-produced honey marketed in Ireland meets all the various quality and labelling standards. More than 100 samples of honey are taken per annum under the national residue plan. A broad suite of tests are carried out in respect of contaminants such as antibiotics, pesticides, heavy metals, etc. In addition, a sampling programme is being organised across the European Union this year to ensure that the honey marketed is not being mislabelled with regard to its geographical or botanical origin and that products declared as honey do not contain externally added sugars or sugar products. The Department and Health Service Executive have taken upwards of 70 samples under this programme. The Department is also working with a number of stakeholders in producing a guide for beekeepers to ensure they fulfil all legal criteria pertaining to the production, marketing and labelling of their honey.

Officials are in regular contact with their counterparts in the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland to ensure that a common approach is taken, particularly in the area of bee health. They will continue to explore the opportunities for greater co-operation in ensuring the development of beekeeping across the island.