Establishment

From 2001 to 2003 the Agricultural Produce Commission consulted with the Western Australian beekeeping industry in relation to establishing an APC producers committee to provide industry funding for services through a Fee for Service charged on beekeepers.

The consultation was conducted through the Bee Industry Consultative Committee that consisted of representatives of the beekeeper industry organisations, and these are:

• Western Australian Farmers Federation Inc., Beekeepers Section

• Western Australian Beekeepers Association Inc.,

• Pollination Association of Western Australia Inc.,

• Western Australian Apiarists Society.

The four industry groups agreed that a producers committee should be established and that services to be provided would be related to the control and eradication of pests and diseases that threaten the bee industry.

The Poll

The poll to seek beekeepers approval for the establishment of the committee was conducted by the APC on 20 August 2003 with 41% of eligible beekeepers participating, of these 73% voted "Yes".

An eligible producer for the poll was defined as a "beekeeper with 5 or more hives". This definition was considered the least number that a beekeeper could own and still rate as a commercial beekeeper.

Committee Established

After taking into consideration the poll result, the Commission established the APC Beekeepers Producers' Committee on 26 August 2003, and invited beekeepers to nominate themselves for appointment to the Committee.

The Committee consists of five members, representing all sections of the industry.

Committee members are elected for a three year period, and may apply for re-election once their period of tenure has expired.

On expiration of tenure the Commission, calls for expressions of interest from growers who might be interested in applying for membership on the Committee. Should you have an interest in applying, please contact the Commission Executive Officer ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) who will place your name on a register of interested persons.

Service functions:

The services provided by the Committee are the functions approved at the poll and listed in Section 12.1 of the Agricultural Produce Commission Act as (b), (c), (d), (h), (l), (la) and (m). The services include monitoring for disease, research related to diseases, communication and education.

Fee for Service:

It is the Committee's task to prepare the annual budget. This process involves determination of services to be provided to beekeepers, the annual cost of the services and the Fee for Service to be charged to fund the services.

In consideration of the budget the Committee has determined the two-tier Fee for Service charge as of 2008 is as follows:

• Service charge per beekeeper per annum = $15.00, - education/communication , plus;

• Service share per bee hive in production  = @ $1.10 per hive - disease control/monitoring and disease research purposes.

The 2008 budget provides for;

• Surveillance and disease monitoring – supporting the protection of the West Australian Beekeeping industry.

• Research and development – benefiting the West Australian beekeeping bio-security and Apiary management.

• Communication – a newsletter, being posted three times per year updating beekeepers on bio-security and industry related matters.

Each year the Committee calls for Expressions of Interest in relation to suggestions on how the Committee should direct its activities (within the confines of the APC Service Functions) for the coming financial year.

Compliance:

The regulations for the collection of Fee for Service for the Western Australian beekeepers industry is covered by the   Agricultural Produce (Beekeeping Industry) Regulations 2003 Regulation 5 provides for the Department of Agriculture and Food, on behalf of the APC, to collect the Fee for Service in conjunction with with the Annual Beekeepers Registration fee.

Prescribed Beekeeping Pests and Diseases –  Agricultural Produce Commission Act 1988

Because of the serious threat of exotic pests and diseases to the Western Australian beekeeping industry through the infestation of hives owned by non-commercial as well as commercial producers, there was an urgent need to include non-commercial producers in the services to be provided by the Producers' Committee.

Section 19a of the  Agricultural Produce Commission Act 1988 allows for provision of services to non-commercial producers when "the Minister, by notice published in the Gazette, has declared a specified pest or disease to be a pest or disease to which this section applies" therefore the following designated bee pests and diseases have been prescribed under Section 19a:

Designated pests:

• Acarine (Tracheal mite, Acarapis Woodi),

• Africanised honey bee,

• Asian honey bee,

• Tropilaelaps mite (Tropilaelaps clareae),

• Bruala fly,

• Small hive beetle,

• Varroasis (Varroa destructor and Varroa jacobsoni),

• Designated diseases:

• American foul brood,

• European foul brood.

In declaring the above pests and diseases, the Producers’ Committee is able to provide services to both commercial and non-commercial producers and thus help to ensure the protection of the entire Western Australian beekeeping industry.