Bee Health - UK National Apiculture Programme
Council Regulation (EC) No. 797/2004 provides EU support for improving general conditions for the production and marketing of apiculture products. Under the Regulation, member states may draw up national apiculture programmes covering a three year period. Within an overall annual EU budgetary ceiling of 24m euro in 2008, up to 50% of a member state's expenditure may be reimbursed by the European Commission. Funds are allocated to each member state based on their % share of hives in the Community. Commission Regulation (EC) No 939/2007 sets out the % share of each member state - the UK has around a 2% share.
Detailed implementing rules for the apiculture programme are set out in Commission Regulation (EC) No 917/2004. The measures which may be included in the apiculture programme are as follows:
(i) technical assistance to beekeepers (training courses, etc.);
(ii) control of varroasis;
(iii) rationalisation of transhumance (colony migration);
(iv) physico-chemical analysis of honey;
(v) restocking of hives; and
(vi) applied research in respect of beekeeping and apiculture products.
Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 797/2004 requires the Commission to present to the European Parliament and the Council a report on the implementation of the Regulation every three years. In March 2007, the Commission published its third report (COM 2007) 131 to the Council on the implementation of the programme in 2005-2007. During this period, the UK claimed an average of £391k each year of which Defra claimed an average of .£291k.
The UK’s national apiculture programme for years 2008-2010 was approved by the European Commission in June 2007. The UK’s allocation is £375k in 2008, £371k in 2009 and £373k in 2010 of which Defra’s allocation is £255k in 2008, £252k in 2009 and £254k in 2010.
The UK’s programme is based on existing bee health work carried out by Defra and the Departments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland responsible for implementing bee health policy in their territories. The Defra element of the UK programme focuses on helping beekeepers in England through the provision of technical assistance to combat and control bee pests and diseases, and through the application of applied research through field trials to control European foul brood disease using the shook swarm technique. The apiculture programme in England is implemented under Defra's Memorandum of Understanding with the Central Science Laboratory's National Bee Unit.
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Page last modified:
8 April 2008
Page published: 10 March 2005