In a concerning development for Victoria’s horticulture sector, the State Government is shutting down long established beekeeping sites on public land, putting apiarists on notice.
Beekeepers have been advised by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) that future applications will no longer be supported, and existing licences will not be renewed.
Adding to the blow, the Allan Government has disbanded the Apiculture on Public Lands Engagement Group (APLEG) – the beekeeping industry’s key communication channel with government.
Speaking in state parliament, The Nationals’ Melina Bath condemned the decision as contradictory to Labor’s own Apiculture on Public Land Policy.
“Honeybees play a vital role in food security, regional jobs, and horticultural exports with a significant portion of Victoria’s horticultural production dependent on pollination by bees,” said Ms Bath.
“DEECA is abandoning sound science just when beekeepers need support most, risking serious consequences as varroa mite threatens Victoria.”
Ms Bath said beekeepers have successfully operated on public land for years, including Wilsons Promontory National Park where 16 sites are now being removed, and across East Gippsland.
“It’s appalling that a sector
so vital to our food security is being treated this way as many rely on honeybee pollination,” she said.
“Bees cannot thrive without access to floral resources, and our public land provides essential forage that supports pollination and underpins Victoria’s food supply.
“The Allan Government should be promoting the coexistence of land uses, and this decision is just the latest in a series of Labor moves to lock up public land.
“This decision must be reversed. Labor must honour its own apiculture policy – food security, pollination and environmental health depend on it.”
