A New Zealand beekeeper says he is $2 million out of pocket after being ordered to destroy thousands of hives by authorities that found traces of American foulbrood disease.
By Monique Steele of RNZ
Beekeepers say New Zealand needs a new approach to a hive-destroying disease that is leaving those affected out of pocket, uncompensated and devastated.
Brown said it would cost around $2m to replace it all, made more difficult by the fact there was no compensation or insurance available for beekeepers.
Burning the hives was more painful when other countries used tools like vaccines, antibiotics and sterilisation - measures prohibited in New Zealand and some export markets.
“Most farmers vaccinate their cows for diseases every single year, but it’s illegal to vaccinate the hive,” Brown said.
“I don’t understand why we have our heads in the sand and live like it’s 200 years ago, without these amazing abilities of giving a vaccine and stopping disease; instead, we burn things.”
The order to destroy the hives by fire came from the levy-run management agency that enforces the national pest management plan rules, including auditing beekeepers, monitoring for the disease and eliminating it.
Honey producer Steven Brown watches boxes of honey burn. Photo / Facebook / Steven Brown
Brown said the new Government needed to “shut down immediately” the outdated pest management plan and the agency.
“The plan was supposed to reduce AFB by 5 per cent per year. They haven’t complied with that. It’s gone rampant throughout New Zealand,” he said.
“I want the Biosecurity Act changed, but the one we’re operating under, the pest management plan - the [Biosecurity] Minister needs to stop that immediately.”
Agency aims for support
But the management agency’s general manager Niha Long said it aimed to support beekeepers impacted by the disease.
She acknowledged how “upsetting” it would be for social media users to view the burning beehives - but burning was the only method at hand.
“The only way to destroy the spores is through burning, so we cannot use antibiotics unlike other countries in the world due to market access,” Long said.
She said the agency was not there to make beekeepers’ operations harder.
“We acknowledge that it is a significant impact on the beekeeper, but we’re not here - contrary to popular belief - to make a beekeeper’s life difficult,” she said.
“We’re here to work with the beekeeper, and that is the nature of the relationship we’ve attempted to have with this beekeeper [Springbank Honey].
“AFB will happen if you’re a beekeeper, at some point in your journey, and getting AFB is not the problem - what can be a problem for us is the beekeepers’ action or inaction after [finding] it.”
She said the law and the pest management plan put legal obligations on its registered, levy-paying beekeepers.
“It dictates each beekeeper’s responsibility for eliminating AFB, so I’d like to emphasise that that is each beekeeper’s responsibility through a set of legal obligations.”
Long said fewer than 8 per cent of the country’s 8000 beekeepers were currently affected - and there were 2900 reports of AFB made in the past year to May, down 15 per cent on the 3449 reports the year before.
New Zealand is ‘pretty much alone’
NZ Beekeeping Incorporated president Jane Lorimer said New Zealand was “pretty much alone” in the response to burn hives and equipment on positive spore tests.
But she said beekeepers generally still followed the rules.
“Beekeepers have to notify and then destroy hives within seven days after finding the disease - and most beekeepers, including Steve, usually comply with that regulation.
“We’re going to seek some clarification around the Biosecurity Act and the Pest Management plan and how the two legal aspects integrate.”
Springbank Honey owner Steven Brown. Photo / George Heard
It was seeking clarification around how the Biosecurity Act and the pest management plans’ legal aspects integrated.
She said the Government review into the legislation was an opportunity to improve transparency for the sector.
“We hope that the minister will take into consideration our suggestions [in the review] and make changes accordingly.
“Part of that is an appeal process as well - there’s nothing within the order in council about appealing what’s happening when a beekeeper’s asked to destroy equipment they’ve found spores in.
“This isn’t the first case where beekeepers have been told to destroy beekeeping equipment they’ve found spores in.”
Lorimer said it was a difficult time for the industry, and the number of commercial beehives had halved in the past two years.
