The Parliamentary Committee and the Honey Bee. (June 18, 2008)

The past Monday evening the House of Representatives Primary Industries and Resources Committee tabled its report of 246 pages: More Than Honey: the future of the Australian honey bee and pollination industries.

Of the the 25 recommendations recommendation No.11 seems particularly noteworthy especially perhaps because of the magnificent cock-up with respect to the recent outbreak of equine influenza emanating from at Eastern Creek.

According to Dick Adams who chaired the committee: "The humble honey bee is one of the most important contributors to the success of Australian agriculture. Many crop and pasture species are heavily or totally reliant on bees for pollination... With this in view, the Committee has recommended that the Australian Government commit $50 million per annum in pursuit of biosecurity measures and research in support of the Australian honey bee industry and pollination dependent industries.

Tony Burke as Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry will have responsibility for bringing the committees recommendations to Cabinet. Whether or not the proximity of the varroa mite (it is now in PNG) will have an impact on deliberations remains to be seen.