Canadian beekeepers ask government to ban overseas bee imports to protect local hives
OTTAWA — Canadian beekeepers are asking the government to ban all overseas bee imports, arguing the sting it would cause local industry would be less painful than risking importing a parasite that is devastating colonies in Europe and Asia.
If there’s one pest keeping the Canadian beekeeping industry abuzz these days, it’s tropilaelaps mites.
The one-millimeter-long parasite, which is currently found in Asia and small pockets of Europe, will wreak devastation on a honey bee colony. According to Curtis Miedema of the Alberta Beekeepers Commission, an infected beehive will collapse within two months.
Miedema and his colleagues flew to Ottawa this week to convince the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to ban all foreign bee imports for the time being, even if it will be very painful at first for Canadian beekeepers who sometimes use them to replace hives killed by the cold.
“It is difficult to keep bees over winter. We do have techniques, they work, but we have sometimes some very hard years where we are not rebuilding up to where it is,” said Peter Awram, director at the Canadian Beekeepers Federation, during a press conference.
“The majority of beekeepers consider this mite to be so devastating that we are better off not importing and destroying our industry and learning how to be much more self-sustaining,” he added.
Awram said Canada imports roughly 15 per cent of its bee population yearly from overseas to help rebuild populations after the winter cold.
Tuesday, Conservative Alberta MP Arnold Viersen also tabled a motion in the House of Commons asking the government to “restore free trade” of bees with the United States.
Imports of honey bee packages have been banned for years because of an “unacceptable risk” of importing disease or parasites.
The only bees allowed to enter Canada from the U.S. are queen bees, a necessary import on which the Canadian industry is “dependent”, said Awram.
“If that were to be shut off, that would be disastrous to our industry. We could not rebuild without those,” he noted.
The U.S. government has successfully swatted away tropilaelaps mites from entering its country to date, so Awram and Miedema said American bees should be available to import to Canada.
After initiating a review in 2023 of its restriction on U.S. bee packages, CFIA reiterated earlier this year that the imports pose an unacceptably high hazard risk to Canadian hives.
“Bee health is complex, and it is important that honey bee imports be controlled in such a way that they do not pose an unacceptable risk to the Canadian honey bee population,” the agency wrote.
But Awram and Miedema said the beekeeping industry’s relationship with the CFIA has been poor at best lately, complaining that the agency has repeatedly refused to hear their concerns.
“One of our struggles over the years has been being able to reach CFIA,” Miedema said Tuesday.
“So, I would have to say that over the years, that has not been a great relationship. We don’t feel like we’ve always been heard. But we were able to hold a meeting with them yesterday, and I would say, was very positive.”
Spokespeople for both the Health and the Agriculture minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
National Post
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