Seanad debates

Tuesday, 17 November 2015

Commencement Matters

Apiculture Industry

2:30 pm

Photo of Paddy BurkePaddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy McHugh, to the House.

Photo of John WhelanJohn Whelan (Labour)
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I join the Chair in welcoming the Minister of State to the House. The issue I am raising today poses some problems and challenges and offers some great opportunities. I refer to the concerns, ideas and interests of this country's 3,000 beekeepers, who are represented by the Federation of Irish Beekeepers Associations. They are particularly concerned for the prospects of the native Irish honey bee and for the manner in which this sector is managed.

While apiculture is a niche sector within our food production and agriculture industries, it almost beggars belief that there is no reference whatsoever to it in the Harvest 2020 document that was drawn up by the Government to set out our objectives and ambitions with regard to food production in this country. Most of the 3,000 enthusiastic beekeepers who are operating in this country keep bees as a hobby rather than for commercial purposes. In my own area, the long-established Dunamaise Beekeepers Association, which is based in Stradbally, County Laois, has passed down the tradition of beekeeping within families and communities down through the years. Many of the members of that association have produced and harvested honey of such world-beating quality that they have won medals and cups on the world stage for their produce.

It is astounding that this country, which is renowned for its agrifood sector, its food production and its food exports, imports 90% of the honey that is consumed here. It is hard to believe, but my point is that it does not need to be the case. We could turn it around so that it becomes a fantastic win for honey production, for beekeepers and for employment in rural Ireland in this niche sector. I will set out what is required to do things differently. While honey production is not a big-ticket item like beef production or dairy production - it is not anything of that order - there are certainly great prospects for jobs to be created and for niche rural industries to be spawned in this sector. A number of actions are required if that is to happen. First, an all-island approach needs to be taken. I am sure the Minister of State, as someone who comes from the north of the country, would appreciate that fact.Bees by their nature do not respect, regard or identify with borders. They do not fly over large expanses of water either, which is an advantage in our case. As we are an island nation, we can develop honey which has an integrity and which is produced within a defined area within the European Union. That would be to our advantage in terms of marketing a high quality product, organically produced and so forth.

The native Irish honey bee has adapted to our intemperate climate. While most people believe that bees are only out and about in the sunshine, that is not the case. They are busy pollinating and making honey as long as it is not raining, which is another challenge to which they have adapted. Some of the challenges that both bees and beekeepers find difficult to deal with include the introduction of foreign hives which can introduce disease, parasites and hybridisation which weakens the strain of the Irish honey bee and limits its ability to adjust to the Irish climate. Beekeepers are seeking a ban on the importation of foreign hives, which has already been done elsewhere, including on the Isle of Man. Beekeepers want to prevent interloping bees from places like Italy weakening the Irish bee stock.

Apiculture offers great opportunities and potential not only as a hobby, but as a commercial pursuit. In countries like Poland, one can study apiculture at university and emerge two or three years later with a recognised qualification in this area. We have totally ignored apiculture but there is an opportunity for us to engage, embrace and develop the sector for everyone's benefit.

Photo of Joe McHughJoe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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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.

Photo of John WhelanJohn Whelan (Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive answer, which touched on many of the points I raised. I ask that the Department engage with its Northern Ireland counterpart on this matter because an all-island approach would offer solutions and opportunities. The sting in the tail, to use a pun, is that Ireland should not need to import honey. We have an opportunity to develop a strong, viable and sustainable rural enterprise. Honey production is an enjoyable activity and bees, as pollinators, are important for other food production and agricultural sectors.

As the Minister of State noted, the Department and Teagasc have estimated the value of the bee pollination process at between €50 million and €60 million per annum. Bees are providing a free service and deserve a little payback, as it were. For this reason, we must protect and value them and develop the honey industry, which is currently small in scale. We have an opportunity to develop a rural enterprise and enable Irish honey to join other Irish food products on the world stage.

Photo of Joe McHughJoe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council take place on a regular basis. I do not know when the next sectoral meeting between representatives of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland will be held. I will raise the matter with the Minister as it should be added to the agenda. I will bring the Senator's message to the Minister.