PJ Murphy (Fine Gael)
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I appreciate the selection of this Commencement matter. I have been attempting to raise this for a number of months and feel particularly strongly about it. I thank the Minister of State for coming in to take the matter on behalf of the Minister for agriculture. In October 2021, Senator Vincent P. Martin introduced a Bill that unanimously passed this House to ban the import of honeybees into Ireland. To give a background reason for wanting to implement such a ban, northern Europe, from Poland to Ireland, France and Scandinavia, up until 100 or 150 years ago, was the home of the northern European black honeybee, Apis mellifera mellifera in Latin. Over the past 150 years, the range of this species of bee has declined and declined further and further, with the introduction of Mediterranean and Asian strains of honeybee into Europe. There is one last remaining stronghold of the northern European black honeybee in the world, which is Ireland.

In recent years, imports of queen bees of different strains have increasingly diluted the pure genes of our native honeybee. To explain how difficult it is to control, when bees mate and breed, they are not like livestock. They are not like horses, cattle or sheep, where the bull is put in the same field as the cow the farmer wants it to mate with, or a stallion with a mare, or a ram with a ewe. We cannot control the way that bees mate. When a virgin queen bee is ready to mate, she flies out of the hive and to a bee congregation area, where she will mate with between eight and 20 drone bees from a number of different colonies in the vicinity, and then return, mated, to her parent colony. The beekeeper has no control over the mating process. Therefore we have no ability to keep the strain of bees pure once non-native bees are present in the vicinity. A number of companies across Europe are marketing non Apis mellifera mellifera queens to be sold into Ireland. Beekeepers here, again and again, choose to buy those bees, and they are endangering the last true remaining stock of northern European honeybees.

With every year that passes, the percentage of pure Apis mellifera mellifera in our national gene pool decreases in comparison with the non-native strain. Very soon, the scales will be tipped beyond the point of no return. Whenever the percentage in the gene pool reaches a certain level, we cannot recover, and we are very close to that point.Not only must this ban be introduced for the protection of the pure strains of indigenous bees but we also must think about the threat of disease and parasites coming with the import of bees. Back in the late 1990s or early 2000s the varroa mite was accidentally introduced to this island. My God, how we wish we could turn the clock back and implement the ban before that parasitic mite decimated our bees in the 1990s and early 2000s. The warning was there. The Government at the time was warned we needed a ban on the introduction of bees but there was no action. Now we have the tropilaelaps mite, which is a much more dangerous mite, on the edge of Europe. It will absolutely decimate our bees if we do not implement a ban as soon as possible.

I have four questions for the Minister of State. Will the Government support this Bill? If it will I want to know when and if it will not I would like to know why. The required research has been done. Does the Department consider that a robust scientific and legal basis for legislative action based on the findings of this research now exists and does the Government intend to amend the Bill in any way based on the research's findings? Given the imminent threat posed by the tropilaelaps, mite does the Department intend to implement an interim ban on the importation of honeybees as soon as possible as a precautionary measure? Will the full assessment of the research by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's independent experts be released together with the results of the research delivered in December 2024?

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Senator. Before the Minister of State replies I welcome guests of Senator Cosgrove's office. They are an ecumenical group which includes Fr. Laurence Cullen who is parish priest of Geevagh and Highwood in Sligo, Mark Flener who is visiting from the US and Celia Dunne and her husband, the Right Reverend Dermot Dunne, dean of Christchurch Cathedral, who will be retiring from his role this September. We wish you the very best in your retirement and I hope you are all enjoying your visit.

The Minister of State may go ahead.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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A Chathaoirligh, I join you in your sentiments towards the guests in the Public Gallery.

I thank Senator Murphy for raising this important issue. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Heydon. The Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill 2021, which the Senator referenced, is a Private Members' Bill currently before Dáil Éireann on Second Stage and is subject to procedures of the Oireachtas. The Bill aims to ban the importation of non-native species or sub-species of, and strains derived from, Apis mellifera.

Trade in bees is permitted and governed by EU law. EU animal health regulations set down rules for entry of bees into and movement within the EU. These EU regulations contain specific provisions to safeguard the health of bees located in the territory of the Union. All imported bees are accompanied by a health certificate issued by the country of export. There are approximately 4,400 active beekeepers in Ireland maintaining approximately 27,000 colonies of bees. A number of these beekeepers are commercial beekeepers who outsource the breeding and selection of bees and therefore rely on the importation of honeybees. Nevertheless, there has been a steady decline in the number of honeybees imported into Ireland over the past few years. There are concerns that a statutory ban on bee imports into Ireland could constitute a restriction on trade under EU regulations. Accordingly, further legal advice was sought on the compatibility of the Bill with EU Single Market rules. Following receipt of this advice, which recommended a scientific review, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine sought tenders for research services on the native Irish honeybee, Apis mellifera mellifera. The tender sought independent scientific evidence in the form of a comprehensive assessment of the threat to the native Irish honeybee and the impact upon biodiversity and the ecosystem from the crossing and cross-breeding of the native Irish honeybee with non-native species or sub-species of and strains derived from Apis mellifera imported to Ireland.In October 2023, a contract was signed with the National University of Ireland Galway, NUIG, for the provision of research services on the native Irish honeybee, Apis mellifera mellifera. The research work concluded in December 2024 and the research report was subsequently evaluated by an external expert. Following the completion of the evaluation, the research service provider, NUIG, was afforded the opportunity to respond to the evaluator's comments and these comments were received in September 2025. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is currently finalising the overall response to the report.

The Government is very supportive of beekeepers and beekeeping associations in their efforts to conserve the native Irish honeybee. The Exchequer-funded grants to Irish national beekeepers' federations provides an annual grant to the four Irish national beekeepers' federations. In 2025, the four national beekeeping federations received a total of €25,500 through this measure for initiatives, including the conservation of the native Irish honeybee. Funding has also been provided for the conservation of the native Irish honeybee under conservation of plant and animal genetic resources scheme. Irish beekeeping is supported through the provision of grant aid for capital investments by individual beekeepers in specialised beekeeping-related equipment and structures, including specialised bee breeding equipment. Lastly, €121,000 was paid out under the national apiculture programme in 2025 to support beekeeping through an approved applied research project.

PJ Murphy (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. Speaking as somebody who worked for over 20 years as a commercial beekeeper, I am aware of the fact that bee imports into Ireland are reducing, but reducing is not enough. They have to be stopped completely. When it comes to introducing disease, parasites and breeding that cannot be controlled once it is in the country, the only acceptable number of imports is zero. That can only be achieved with a complete ban on the import of bees.

NUIG fulfilled the requirement of answering the report in September 2025. That was nine months ago. It is past time for that report, its findings and the response to the report to be published by the Department. We do not know where we are going until we know the findings of that. Their publication is long overdue. I urge the Minister of State to work with the Department and the Minister for agriculture to ensure the publication of that report as soon as possible.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Murphy again for raising this matter. As I stated, I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Martin Heydon. The Minister fully recognises the important role played by honeybees, especially in terms of honey production and the pollination of horticultural crops. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is fully supportive of the work carried out by beekeepers and the beekeeping association in relation to the conservation of the native Irish honeybee, which is evident in the level of support provided through various initiatives. The Minister appreciates the concerns among beekeepers' associations that it has taken time for the outcome of the research to be published, but wishes to assure the House that his Department is currently finalising the overall response to the report. The points Senator Murphy made today will be brought to the attention of the Minister and the Department of agriculture.

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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The next Commencement matter was submitted by Senator Boyhan, but we are waiting for the Minister of State to arrive as there is a vote in the Dáil. While we are waiting on the Minister of State, Deputy Emer Higgins, I welcome the guests of Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee. They are very welcome. When students visit the House, we usually give them the day off homework, but I think there are only one or two guests who have homework.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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We will give you the day off work.

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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Exactly. They are very welcome. I hope they have been well-looked-after. I am sure they are.Will Senator Murphy propose that the House suspends for the duration of the vote in the Dáil?

PJ Murphy (Fine Gael)
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I propose that the House suspends for the duration of the vote in the Dáil.

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.