Dear NIHBS Member, We need your help please!
The Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill 2021 (Protection Bill) will go through its 2nd stage in the Seanad next Thursday. Sorry for the short notice but this good news was only confirmed in the last few days.
We are asking for your help please:-
1) Come to Leinster House next Thursday 2nd June 2022 at 11.30 for 12.00 to visibly demonstrate support for the Protection Bill. NIHBS will be there in strength and are asking FIBKA and IBA as well so that as many beekeepers as possible will show the government that we are a united force on this matter.
We would love you to attend in great swarms to raise the profile of the Protection Bill. We need to create a stir and show Ministers, Senators and TDs how important this Bill is. It is very important to show the government that this issue is critical to beekeepers and this Ban is needed urgently.
If members club together and hire a bus for example, please get in touch as NIHBS will consider making a contribution to your bus hire costs.
2) Contact your local Senator and ask them to support this Protection Bill.
3) Please also contact your local radio stations and if you can, get yourself on there to talk about the plight of the Native Irish Honey Bee. If you have a contact in local radio but do not want to go on yourself, please let us know and we will try to find a volunteer.
As we all know the majority of Irish beekeepers work with the native honey bee, Apis mellifera mellifera and we are against the damaging importation of non-native honey bees. Imports are increasing and in line with that the hybridisation problem is getting worse – this is being proven by scientific research as we speak and also by our own experiences when checking our bees.
Remember!
- Imports increased by 327% between the years 2019 and 2020.
- Scientific research is showing more and more hybridisation every year.
- In the Dublin area alone, Open Hive put out 100 catcher hives and found that 75% of the swarms collected were non-native!
- The vast majority of beekeepers want to work with native bees.
- We must not let our native sub-species become extinct due to hybridisation.
- It is urgent and critically important that this Protection Bill is passed.
If you are involved or work with PR or Marketing and could help us in this project, please get in touch.
Looking forward to seeing you outside the gates of Leinster House from 11.30 for a support demonstration at 12 o’clock, Thursday 2nd June 2022.
