Mpi & Asure Quality limits hive numbers

[Rob McInnes 4]

Hi all. What is this I hear that MPI in conjunction with local councils, they are looking to restrict numbers of hives to a a square meterage. In the case I heard it was 1 hive per hectare. Yes you read correctly. And each hive must be clear of any boundary by at least 30 metres.

 

This info came from a discussion of northland bee keepers meeting. The people leading this meeting were from MPI and asure quality.

 

I must also say i was not present, the info came from my father so forgive me if i have muddled some peoples titles. 

 

I also have not been able to find info on line about this.

 

Apparently this was the first public meeting about this.

 

It's submission time people and there is some serious questions that need to be asked and answered.

 

My personal view is its its going to drive  a scenario of licenceless hives and pander to the likes of comvita.

 

Thoughts?

[Trevor Gillbanks 6,650]

And today is not even the 1st of April.  I will certainly be watching this thread.

[Alastair 8,050]

If the discussion was really led by people from MPI, then it must be official, I presume.

 

But it would not be the first time something said has been misinterpreted.

 

Local councils though, more likely, they do come up with some hair brained ideas, most of which are ignored.

 

If true, it will drive non compliance. What is a guy to do if he is at his hive limit but has to make some swarm control splits. Admit and face penalty, or not declare them? Most would take the latter option and that is going to be a problem for administration of AFB control.

Edited October 8, 2017 by Alastair

[cBank 790]

That would completely rule out urban bee keeping.

[Queen Bee 23]

I would be keen to know which beekeeper they will give the rights to.  A local who has been on the spot for years or to a large outfit who has just moved in like Comvita.

[Rob Stockley 3,415]

Sounds like a wind up to me

[deejaycee 2,451]

I hope to hell it's a wind up.

 

But when a board member of APINZ stands up at the ethics meeting at the national conference and proposes restrictions on being able to register new apiaries with the PMS if they are within x distance of an already registered apiary, and the focus has nothing to do with disease control... you do get to wonder who's running the asylum.

 

Worth investigating this further to find out exactly what's being driven by whom, and why.

 

Rob McInnes, can you get names of the speakers and date/details of the meeting.  Are there minutes that might be available?

[tommy dave 1,120]

i'm guessing it might relate to this

there are a couple of problematic elements to the proposal - anyone planning on identifying with certainty the origin of a swarm?

 

http://www.wdc.govt.nz/PlansPoliciesandBylaws/bylaws/Pages/TheKeepingofAnimalsPoultryBeesBylaw.aspx

thanks for posting @Rob McInnes

Edited October 8, 2017 by tommy dave

[nab 85]

8 hours ago, Queen Bee said:

I would be keen to know which beekeeper they will give the rights to.  A local who has been on the spot for years or to a large outfit who has just moved in like Comvita

it would have to be the land owner. 

 

anyway something has to happen with laws around hive stacking. even if it is just for manuka because that's were this is all come about.  if there was a limit for manuka it wouldn't affect me. i have 250 hectares of the stuff growing on the farm right beside a Maori block that's 30 hectares. there a beekeeper on the boundary that thinks 100 hives is good for for that block.  

Edited October 8, 2017 by nab

[Kiwifruiter 605]

40 minutes ago, nab said:

it would have to be the land owner. 

 

anyway something has to happen with laws around hive stacking. even if it is just for manuka because that's were this is all come about.  if there was a limit for manuka it wouldn't affect me. i have 250 hectares of the stuff growing on the farm right beside a Maori block that's 30 hectares. there a beekeeper on the boundary that thinks 100 hives is good for for that block.  

It sounds like your manuka block doesn't have enough hives.... You might want to add some more.... 

[Rob Stockley 3,415]

59 minutes ago, nab said:

anyway something has to happen with laws around hive stacking. even if it is just for manuka

I thought that high stocking rates was necessary to get Manuka. If the bees had space to forage freely they wouldn't touch the stuff. 

 

There are 27 million hectares in NZ and only about a million hives. We won't be hitting one per hectare any time soon. 

[Tony Greathead 48]

Been in a government dept you have to be careful with what is taken from meetings, it could have been an idea floated by one person present as "blue sky thinking" and rejected by others. But it only then takes one person to start the Chinese whisper on it and suddenly it becomes reality...when it fact it might not be...

 

Wait till something is published in writing.

[Rob Stockley 3,415]

1 minute ago, Tony Greathead said:

 

Wait till something is published in writing.

 That's not the kiwi way

[Daley 4,326]

47 minutes ago, Rob Stockley said:

I thought that high stocking rates was necessary to get Manuka. If the bees had space to forage freely they wouldn't touch the stuff. 

 

There are 27 million hectares in NZ and only about a million hives. We won't be hitting one per hectare any time soon. 

Nope.

It just has to be warm enough.

Manuka yields quite well on a hot day and the bees are in to it all right.

On cooler days they'll find something else that's easier to gather.

 

Why would you put 50 hives on a site to collect 50 boxes when you can put 25 hives on a site and collect 50 boxes.

Stocking to me is about putting the maximum number of hives you can on a site without stalling your yield.

Your not necessarily going to get more honey with more hives, though currently there are plenty of noddys who seem to think that's the case.

 

[PhilEvans 180]

I had a look at the Whangarei District Council website, and they are reviewing their "Keeping Animals" bylaw, and there is a proposal to restrict the number of hives in urban areas to 2. They also propose that hives must be 10m away from an adjoining property, and must have a flyaway screen within 2 meters. Submissions close on October 15 (Sunday) and there is a form linked on the link below. I have already made a submission, even though I don't live in the area. Everone should send a submission, it is really easy.

Here is the proposed Bylaw. http://www.wdc.govt.nz/PlansPoliciesandBylaws/bylaws/Documents/Proposed-Animals-Bylaw/Proposed-Animals-Bylaw-2017.pdf

I contacted Hamilton City Council, and they have not heard of any plans to restrict hives, and they do not plan on making any changes to the current system, which is as many hives as you want, as long as they don't cause a nuisance. The Whangarei proposal, and MPI's involvement may be just a sledgehammer approach to 1 or 2 complaints about bees, and WDC may have got MPI involved to cover their bases. It does not sound like a nation wide change. It would be interesting to see what the actual meeting was about...

[Daley 4,326]

11 hours ago, PhilEvans said:

I had a look at the Whangarei District Council website, and they are reviewing their "Keeping Animals" bylaw, and there is a proposal to restrict the number of hives in urban areas to 2. They also propose that hives must be 10m away from an adjoining property, and must have a flyaway screen within 2 meters. Submissions close on October 15 (Sunday) and there is a form linked on the link below. I have already made a submission, even though I don't live in the area. Everone should send a submission, it is really easy.

Here is the proposed Bylaw. http://www.wdc.govt.nz/PlansPoliciesandBylaws/bylaws/Documents/Proposed-Animals-Bylaw/Proposed-Animals-Bylaw-2017.pdf

I contacted Hamilton City Council, and they have not heard of any plans to restrict hives, and they do not plan on making any changes to the current system, which is as many hives as you want, as long as they don't cause a nuisance. The Whangarei proposal, and MPI's involvement may be just a sledgehammer approach to 1 or 2 complaints about bees, and WDC may have got MPI involved to cover their bases. It does not sound like a nation wide change. It would be interesting to see what the actual meeting was about...

The only thing they'll succeed in doing with bylaws like that is people breaking the rules..

10metres from an adjoining property... yeah right. 

[BeeGirl 118]

c. the owner of the beehives must provide evidence on request of the completion of an American Foul Brood (AFB) course.

 

The wording of this by the Whangarei District Council for only being able to keep one or two hives is a bit 'ho hum', as I'm thinking that they want these beekeepers to be Deca holders - which can't be obtained until 12 months of keeping a hive has lapsed. Wouldn't it be better to word it in such a way that the hive owner must produce a certificate of inspection by a Deca Holder.

[PhilEvans 180]

16 minutes ago, BeeGirl said:

c. the owner of the beehives must provide evidence on request of the completion of an American Foul Brood (AFB) course.

 

The wording of this by the Whangarei District Council for only being able to keep one or two hives is a bit 'ho hum', as I'm thinking that they want these beekeepers to be Deca holders - which can't be obtained until 12 months of keeping a hive has lapsed. Wouldn't it be better to word it in such a way that the hive owner must produce a certificate of inspection by a Deca Holder.

Perhaps you could write exactly that in an online submission form on the link above. Submissions close tomorrow. Any submission highlighting failings of the proposal are better than none, so fellow beekeepers in Whangarei don't get stuck with some stupid unworkable nonsense that will only make life harder for them.

[cBank 790]

5 hours ago, BeeGirl said:

Wouldn't it be better to word it in such a way that the hive owner must produce a certificate of inspection by a Deca Holder.

 

Not if you’re trying to make it really hard to keep bees. Preventing people from starting out seems a good way to limit things.

[BeeGirl 118]

22 hours ago, PhilEvans said:

Perhaps you could write exactly that in an online submission form on the link above. Submissions close tomorrow. Any submission highlighting failings of the proposal are better than none, so fellow beekeepers in Whangarei don't get stuck with some stupid unworkable nonsense that will only make life harder for them.

Could turn out to be like Gore down here in Southland - no beehives are allowed (and never have been), in the township without a permit. The permit requires signed consent from surrounding neighbours and a $50 fee payable to the local council, with proof of an annual disease check. This has resulted in some people keeping one or two unregistered hives in their backyard. 

[PhilEvans 180]

13 minutes ago, BeeGirl said:

Could turn out to be like Gore down here in Southland - no beehives are allowed (and never have been), in the township without a permit. The permit requires signed consent from surrounding neighbours and a $50 fee payable to the local council, with proof of an annual disease check. This has resulted in some people keeping one or two unregistered hives in their backyard. 

And that is why it is vitally important everyone make a submission to the Whangarei District Council. If no-one does anything, stupid bylaws like that are enacted. Submissions close today. It is really easy to do. The link is in one of the posts above.

[Rob Stockley 3,415]

4 hours ago, BeeGirl said:

This has resulted in some people keeping one or two unregistered hives in their backyard. 

I've never understood this. The apiary register is confidential. Council can't access where registered hives are any more than you or I. We need to edumicate the council dodgers. 

[yesbut 6,059]

6 minutes ago, Rob Stockley said:

Council can't access where registered hives are any more than you or I.

I bet they can if they needed to..

[Rob Stockley 3,415]

2 minutes ago, yesbut said:

I bet they can if they needed to..

I'll see your bet and call! Give me an example of a council using the apiary register to enforce a local bylaw.

[tommy dave 1,120]

5 minutes ago, Rob Stockley said:

I'll see your bet and

string bet