Galway Senator shows support for the native honey bee
A Galway Senator and commercial beekeeper has reiterated his strong support for the Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill following detailed submissions to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food from the Native Irish Honey Bee Society.
NIBS outlined that while trade in bees is permitted under EU law, the existing safeguards relate only to animal health and do not protect the genetic integrity of native bee populations.
They highlighted that Article 36 of the EU Treaty allows for a ban on imports on animal-health grounds, and that precedents for such bans already exist within the EU in countries such as Slovenia. The Bill proposes a ban on the importation of non-native honeybees.
In October 2024, it passed the Seanad with full cross-party support and is now at Second Stage in the Dáil.
Galway Senator PJ Murphy, who has operated a commercial beekeeping enterprise for over twenty years and has selectively bred native black queens from his own stock and from stock across Ireland, has spoken out to express his clear agreement with the Society’s concerns.
“I'm convinced that the native Irish bee is the only way forward for commercial beekeeping in this country,” he said, adding that he “wholeheartedly agreed with what the presenters were trying to achieve with this bill.”
Loretta Neary of the Native Irish Bee Society pointed to Slovenia as a country setting a clear precedent, noting that beekeeping is a major national industry there, with one in every 100 people keeping bees.
She also highlighted that Bulgaria, Romania, substantial parts of Italy, Denmark, and France now regret losing their native black bee populations and are attempting to restore them. Ireland, she said, is unique in still having such a pure population and must not lose the opportunity to protect it.