Beekeepers are being encouraged to vote on a proposed increase to a honey levy which funds a surveillance program designed to keep pest bees and bee pests out of Australia.
The levy increase will fund the National Bee Pest Surveillance Program, an early warning system that has made significant progress in recent years, increasing the number of sentinel hives to over 120 at high risk ports across the country, The Observer reports.
Chairman of the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC), Ian Zadow, said it's critical for the industry to vote yes for the proposed biosecurity levy increase to help fund the surveillance program.
"Catching bee pests and pest bees when they first arrive greatly increases the possibility of eradicating an incursion, and limits the scale and cost of any eradication program," he said.
"Australia also exports queen bees and packaged bees, and surveillance will help to support our pest-free status claim in export negotiations."
All beekeepers registered with 11 hives or more are eligible to vote on the proposed changes.
A Swedish paper recently published in the Royal Society Journal found that bees have the capacity to significantly contribute to food security. The study states that the pollination process increases crop shelf life, quality and yield – which can help to reduce the almost 50 percent of crops that are wasted between harvest and the supermarket.