Help for honey bees
27th April 2013
Bee farmers in Scotland, who have been hit by the bad weather, are to get Scottish Government help to restock their hives.
Bee farmers estimate that around 4,000 colonies have been lost due to the prolonged winter weather and Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead announced today that up to £200,000 would be available to help with restocking costs.
He also indicated that a further financial package would be forthcoming next week for farmers, building on the £500,000 already provided to help with fallen stock costs.
Mr Lochhead made the announcement during a visit to Moray Beekeepers Association where he opened a new training apiary. He said:“The late onset of spring has devastated our honey bee colonies and it’s estimated that around 4,000 have been lost. Some farmers have seen their colonies virtually wiped out.
“That’s why we’re making £200,000 available to help commercial bee farmers to restock and rebuild their colonies.
“Clearly it’s not just bee farmers who’ve borne the brunt of the recent bad weather and that’s why we have already provided £500,000 to livestock farmers to help them meet fallen stock costs. We continue to work with stakeholders to assess what other support may be necessary and I hope to make a further announcement on this next week.”
Commenting on the Moray Beekeepers Association’s initiative, Mr Lochhead said:“Bees have a crucial role to play in our environment and the new training apiary will help make more people aware of this and give them the chance to get more involved in beekeeping.
“The Moray Beekeepers Association was established in 1919 and has been helping to promote an interest in beekeeping ever since. I’m sure the new apiary will help even more people, including community groups and school children, develop their knowledge of bees.”
Fallen stock support for farmers
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2013/03/Fallenstock20932013
Photo from Wikipedia under license
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Apis_mellifera_flying.jpg
