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Future of Beekeeping and Pollination Services in Australia

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Future of Beekeeping and Pollination Services in Australia SUBMISSION TO SENATE ENQUIRY BURNETT BEEKEEPING SUPPLIES FUTURE OF BEEKEEPING AND POLLINATION SERVICES IN AUSTRALIA Burnett Beekeeping Supplies are a regionally based manufacturer of quality Australian hoop pine hives, beekeeping foundation and supplies. We are based in Kingaroy in Queensland and are committed to quality products for Australian apiarists. We are passionate about the future of the beekeeping industry and have invested in a wax processing plant in addition to our wood manufacturing plant. Burnett Beekeeping Supplies are making this submission to the Senate Inquiry, as we are concerned about the biosecurity arrangements of imported beekeeping equipment. We would like to make the following recommendations – 1. Greater restrictions to be put on the import of wooden hive products from overseas for biosecurity reasons. The continuation of imported wood products increases the risk of disease coming into Australia via these wood products. 2. Subsidise businesses that manufacture Australian made beekeeping products as a risk management strategy. Australian manufacturers struggle to compete with overseas imports due to Australia not having the same labour costs and taxes as our competitors overseas. What if in the future suppliers from overseas are unable to supply, due to natural disasters, war or for biosecurity reasons? In the meantime Australian suppliers and manufacturers of beekeeping supplies have closed down due to not being able to compete. The loss of Australian manufacturers could lead to short supply of beekeeping products, which could result in the loss of our bees and no pollination of food. 3. Greater restrictions to be put on the import of wooden hive products from overseas due to the additional threat to Australia’s wood manufacturing and forest industry. Quite often a disease can be present in imported wood and lay dormant for years. These parasites could then attack our forests and eucalyptus, which produce the high quality nectar Australian bees are known for. Evidence and research to support Burnett Beekeeping Supplies recommendations are outlined below - IMPORTANCE OF THESE INDUSTRIES There are currently about 10,000 registered beekeepers in Australia operating approximately 600,000 hives. By location, New South Wales is the largest honey producer (39 per cent), followed by South Australia (19 per cent), Victoria (17 per cent), Queensland (14 per cent), Western Australia (7 per cent) and Tasmania (4 per cent). Most commercial honeybee keepers are regionally based. (RIRDC Website 2013 ©) Beekeepers, politicians and farmers debate over what to do about dying honey bees such as, Restrict the use of systemic insecticides and hive building materials because of their possible role in contributing to honey bee deaths. Scientific studies are constantly finding that new and class of pesticides called neonicotinoids, are significant contributors to this devastating phenomenon. The last few years have been a tumultuous affair for Australian beekeepers. The threat of varroa mite, transshipping and older generations leaving the industry is making it more important than ever to support our local producers. Page 1 of 4 Burnett Beekeeping Supplies, SUBMISSION TO SENATE ENQUIRY BURNETT BEEKEEPING SUPPLIES Australia produces some of the world’s finest honey with a yield of up to 140kg per hive per year. This is due to a number of factors including a high volume of eucalyptus, which is a fantastic nectar producer and the fact that we are so geographically distant from the rest of the world, preventing us from the introduction of harmful parasites and diseases. But can Australian honey producers continue to rely on our geographical advantage to warn off parasites? There are many regulations in place for the biosecurity of bees as well as products, hives, vehicles, machinery and apiary equipment. The Biosecurity Manual for the Honey Bee Industry provides useful insight for ensuring good pest management practices for beekeepers. Effective biosecurity should be carried out in a multi-level fashion in a sharing of responsibility for the prevention of disease and pest spread to apiarists across the country – nationally, regionally and by hive area or property. This does not just include importation of the bees themselves, but also apiary products and supplies that are quite often imported due to the significantly lower prices offered by overseas suppliers. The challenge lies in how readily accessible these items are to Australian apiarists (through the internet) and whether these imported items are subject to the same customs security as other, more obvious, imports. If the government does not restrict the imports, the beekeeping industry will suffer greatly at the hands of these introduced pests. Commercial beekeeping in Australia is dependent on successfully containing infectious diseases and avoiding the introduction of new ones. Internationally wood imports are recognized as an important pathway in the transition of pests. Usually the wood used is manufactured using low quality raw wood, which is likely to contain pests. There are a number of different pest that could be found on untreated wood packaging. Some examples are: • Powder post beetle • Asian longhorn beetle • Citrus longhorn beetle • Subterranean termite Even if wood packaging is treated accredited persons should still watch out for other pests and diseases that might be in their consignment. Re-infestation of treated is also possible. One way to resolve an issue would be to restrict the import of wooden beekeeping products for biosecurity reasons. FOOD SUPPLY CONCERNS The most beneficial by-product of beekeeping is the free native pollination services bees provide to home gardeners and farmers alike. These pollination activities have been proven to improve crop yields and quantities, as has been a notable achievement in apple and almond crops, which are completely dependent on pollination by honeybees. This pollination “service” is beginning to grow in popularity; in our local region, beekeepers are testing and measuring the viability of this service to local wineries. (RIRDC Website 2013 ©) Added advantages are that production can occur for all twelve months of the year and 70-80% of honey is produced from native flora throughout Australia. If are parasite was introduced to Australia via imported wood products this could also effect our native flora and forest industry. Page 2 of 4 Burnett Beekeeping Supplies, 806 River Rd, Kingaroy. Phone (07) 4162 3606. SUBMISSION TO SENATE ENQUIRY BURNETT BEEKEEPING SUPPLIES Bees have been dying in alarming numbers all over the world, for decades. But in the past 12 months it’s become a lot worse. America is now thought to be one bad winter way from a food disaster, with over 60% of the bees in America now involved in paid pollination services for American food. Over 1/3 of our diet is reliant on bees because bees pollinate the plants that make our food. Here are the food crops that are sustained by pollination activities in Australia: • Mangos • Cotton • Brazil Nuts • Rambutan • Lychee • Beets • Kiwi Fruit • Flax • Mustard Seed • Plums • Acerola – used in • Rapeseed • Peaches Vitamin C • Broccoli • Nectarines supplements • Cauliflower • Guava • Macadamia Nuts • Cabbage • Rose Hips • Sunflower Oil • Brussels Sprouts • Pomegranates • Goa beans • Bok Choy • Pears • Lemons (Chinese • Black and Red • Buckwheat Cabbage) Currants • Figs • Turnips • Alfalfa • Fennel • Congo Beans • Okra • Limes • Sword beans • Strawberries • Quince • Chili peppers,red • Onions • Carrots peppers, bell • Cashews • Persimmons peppers, green • Cactus • Palm Oil peppers • Prickly Pear • Loquat • Papaya • Apricots • Durian • Safflower • Allspice • Cucumber • Sesame • Avocados • Hazelnut • Eggplant • Passion Fruit • Cantaloupe • Raspberries • Lima Beans • Tangelos • Elderberries • Kidney Beans • Coriander • Blackberries • Adzuki Beans • Caraway • Clover • Green Beans • Chestnut • Tamarind • Orchid Plants • Watermelon • Cocoa Custard Apples • Star Apples • Black Eyed Peas • Cherries • Coconut • Vanilla • Celery • Tangerines • Cranberries • Coffee • Boysenberries • Tomatoes • Walnut • Starfruit • Grapes Imagine the affect it will have if pests introduced through the importation of wooden beekeeping products wiped out our beekeeping industry? Page 3 of 4 Burnett Beekeeping Supplies, 806 River Rd, Kingaroy. Phone (07) 4162 3606. SUBMISSION TO SENATE ENQUIRY BURNETT BEEKEEPING SUPPLIES RISK FROM EXOTIC PESTS AND DISEASES The industry is under significant threat from several exotic pests and diseases. The worst is Varroa jacobsoni and Varroa mite (as mentioned above), which originated on the Asian honey bee Apis cerana in the Indonesian Archipelago and transferred to the introduced European honey bee Apis mellifera. The mite spread westward into the Asian and European continents and has recently entered North America and the United Kingdom. It has decimated domestic and feral honeybee populations. Varroa has been found in the northern islands of the Torres Strait where it has been contained by strenuous quarantine action. Commercial beekeeping in Australia is dependent on successfully containing infectious diseases and on avoiding nutritionally introduced ones. (RIRDC Report “Commercial Beekeeping in Australia” ©) Australia is free from some of the most important pests of honeybees, namely Varroa destructor and Tropilaelaps clareae, being the two major pests. The establishment of these pests in bees in Australia would be a catastrophe for the beekeeping
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