April 09, 2015
Unity call in bee industry
Pressure is growing in parts of the bee industry for a compulsory levy on honey to fund a national association.
Maori landowners are increasingly turning to honey production as an efficient use of marginal land, and the largest manager of Maori land, Te Tumu Paeroa, has invested in research and marketing companies.
The primary production select committee has heard the industry has fragmented since National Beekeepers' Association members voted in 2002 to drop commodity levies and shift to voluntary membership.
Federated Farmers Bee Industry Group chair John Hartnell told the committee government support is needed to reimpose commodity levies.
The number of beekeepers is almost back to the same levels as those of the turn of the century, when the arrival of the varroa mite halved the country’s pollination workforce, but only about 800 of the 5300 commercial and hobby beekeepers are association members.
Labour's primary industries spokesperson Damien O'Connor says the industry is a basket case needing further regulation around food safety standards and exports.
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