bee importing

8/13/2019 bee importing

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GUIDANCE ON IMPORTING BEES INTO

ENGLAND

THE FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH AGENCY

March 2012


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IMPORTANT NOTES

This note has been produced to provide informal, non-statutory guidance that aims toclarify the requirements that apply to imports of bees into England from both within andoutside the European Union (EU). It does not provide a comprehensive coverage of all

conditions laid down in European and national legislation and has no legal force.Similar legislation is in place in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The aim of the legislation is to prevent the introduction and spread of bee pestsand diseases, particularly the small hive beetle. If you are importing beeswhether for your own u se or to se ll on, it is important that you comply with allthe import conditions in order to protect the health of honey bees in the UK.

The key requirements are:

1. You must notify all imports in advance to the relevant authority andensure that consignments are accompanied by a health certificatewhich has been obtained by the exporter:

In the case of imports from another EU Member State, therelevant authority is the Animal Health and Veterinary LaboratoryAgency (AHVLA) (see further details in paragraphs 2 to 4 onpages 5 to 6)

In the case of imports from any country outside the EU, therelevant authority is the approved Border Inspection Post (BIP).

Consignments must enter the UK through a BIP (see furtherdetails in paragraphs 12 to 16 on pages 7and 8).

2. You cannot import packaged bees from any country outside the EU(except New Zealand) (see further details in paragraph 11 on page 7).

3. You must comply with the post import controls applying toconsignments from outside the EU (see further details in paragraphs 17to 19 on page 7).

In addition, we would encourage you strongly to keep records of beekeepers to

whom you have sold any imported bees. This will enable them to be contactedquickly by the National Bee Unit (NBU) in the event of any notifiable pests anddiseases being found in the imported consignment.

Please note that you must satisfy yourself that consignments of bees areimported in accordance with all the relevant legislative conditions. Failure tocomply with the requirements laid down in the Trade in Animals and RelatedProducts Regulations 2011 and the Bee Diseases and Pests Control (England)Order 2006 may lead to prosecution.


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If you have any queries about the import requirements for bees, please contact:

Bee Health PolicyRoom 10GA07The Food and Environment Research AgencySand HuttonYorkYO41 1LZ

Tel 01904 465636Email:[email protected]

National Bee UnitThe Food and Environment Research AgencySand HuttonYorkYO41 1LZ

Tel: 01904 [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Legislation 5

Imports of bees from other member states 5

Imports of bees from the Channel Islandsand the Isle of Man

5

Imports of bees from outside the EuropeanUnion

6

Border Inspection Posts 7

Charges for veterinary checks 7

Post import controls 8

Packing precautions 8

Sales of bees 8

Annex A:Member states of the European UnionEligible countries outside the EuropeanUnion

9

Annex B: Certification requirements 10


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LEGISLATION

1. If you wish to import bees into England you must comply with the followinglegislation:

The Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011( the TARPRegulations) which lay down the controls that apply to imports ofApis mellifera(honey bees) andBombus spp. (bumble bees) from other member states andfrom countries outside the European Union (EU).

The Bee Diseases and Pests Control (England) Order 2006(the Order)which lays down the enforcement provisions for the post import controls thatapply to all imports of bees from countries outside the EU.

Commission Regulation (EU) 206/2010 whichlists the countries outside the

EU from which bees may be imported (subject to para.5 below), the healthcertification requirements and the post import controls.

Commission Decision 2006/855/ECwhich lays down the health certificationrequirements and the post import checks (packaged bees) for bees importedfrom New Zealand.

Council Directive 92/65/EEC(commonly known as the Balai Directive)whichlays down the health certification requirements for bees moving betweenmember states of the EU.

The national legislation is available athttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ and the Europeanlegislation athttp://eur-lex.europa.EU/RECH_menu.do?ihmlang=en

IMPORTS OFBEESFROM OTHERMEMBER STATES

2. A list of EU Member States is at Annex A. Consignments of bees (colonies/queenhoney bees or bumble bees) must be accompanied by an original health certificate(photocopies are not acceptable) modelled on Annex E part 2 of Council Directive92/65/EEC which has been issued to the exporter by the relevant Member Stateauthority. The health certificate is valid for 10 days from the date of issue and you

must retain it for at least 3 years. The health certificate conditions are at Annex B.

3. You must give at least 24 hours notice in writing (including fax) to the DivisionalVeterinary Manager of the AHVLA office with responsibility for the area in which thepremises of destination is situated. The AHVLA office will be able to provide youwith a form on which to submit your importer notification. Please copy thisnotification to the NBU. The location of your nearest AHVLA office can be obtainedathttp://www.defra.gov.uk/animalhealth/about/contact-us/postcode.aspor bycontacting the Defra helpline on 08459 335577.

4. You may receive an inspection visit from the NBU if you have imported bees fromother Member States.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/http://eur-lex.europa.eu/RECH_menu.do?ihmlang=enhttp://eur-lex.europa.eu/RECH_menu.do?ihmlang=enhttp://eur-lex.europa.eu/RECH_menu.do?ihmlang=enhttp://www.defra.gov.uk/animalhealth/about/contact-us/postcode.asphttp://www.defra.gov.uk/animalhealth/about/contact-us/postcode.asphttp://www.defra.gov.uk/animalhealth/about/contact-us/postcode.asphttp://www.defra.gov.uk/animalhealth/about/contact-us/postcode.asphttp://eur-lex.europa.eu/RECH_menu.do?ihmlang=enhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/


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IMPORTS OF BEESFROM THE CHANNELISLANDS AND THE ISLEOFMAN

5. The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are not part of the UK but theyare 'Crown Dependencies'. They are also not EU Member States. However, whenthe UK joined the EU, arrangements were put in place to enable the UK to continueto trade freely with these Dependencies without falling foul of its Treaty obligations.EU legislation sets out the Community arrangements applicable to the ChannelIslands and the Isle of Man for trade in agricultural products (such as live animals).This legislation provides that veterinary and animal health legislation applies in theChannel Islands and the Isle of Man under the same conditions as in the UK forproducts imported into the Islands or exported from the Islands to the EU.

6. The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man must impose the same importrequirements as the UK when receiving bees from countries outside the EU andthat the UK treats imports from the Dependencies as though they were movements

within the UK. Therefore, health certificates are not needed for movements of beesfrom the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man to the UK.

IMPORTS OF BEESFROM OUTSIDE THE EU

7. Bees are only allowed into the EU from those countries listed in Part 1 to Annex IIof Commission Regulation (EU) No 206/2010 provided that the 3 notifiablediseases/pests of bees in the EUAmerican foul brood,Aethina tumida (smallhive beetle) and Tropilaelaps spp. (tropilaelaps mites)are confirmed as notifiablediseases/pests throughout the exporting country. We are only aware thatArgentina, Australia and New Zealand are able to meet these requirements.

Imports from Hawaii were suspended from 5 May 2010.

8. If you wish to import bees from any of the other countries listed, you should checkwith Feras Bee Health Policy Unit or the NBU, or alternatively with the relevantauthority in the country concerned, that it is able to comply with the EUsimportrequirements.

9. Imports of honey bees are restricted to consignments of queen bees and attendantworkers only (except New Zealand). Each queen bee must be contained in asingle cage and accompanied by no more than 20 attendant worker bees.Packages or single colonies of bumble bees (a maximum of 200 adult bees percontainer) are permitted provided that they are bred under environmentallycontrolled conditions within recognised establishments.

10. Each consignment must be accompanied by an original health certificate(photocopies are not acceptable) modelled on Model QUE (honey bees) or ModelBEE (bumble bees) which are contained in Commission Regulation (EU) No206/2010. The health certificate must be issued by the relevant authority in thecountry of origin and is valid for 10 days from the date of issue. The healthcertificate conditions are at Annex B.

11. Commission Decision 2006/855/EC permits the import of queen honey and bumblebees and packaged honey and bumble bees (a queen bee accompanied by approx15,000 attendant workers) into the EU from New Zealand under the EU/NZ


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Veterinary Agreement. Consignments must be accompanied by an original healthcertificate modelled on Annex VI of the Decision issued by the New Zealandauthorities. The health certificate conditions are at Annex B.

BORDER INSPECTION POSTS

12. All bees imported into England from countries outside the EU mustenter throughan approved Border Inspection Post (BIP). These are Heathrow, Manchester andGatwick airports.

13. You must give at least one working day's notice, in writing, of the consignmentsanticipated arrival date to the Divisional Veterinary Manager of the appropriate BIP(details are below). A Common Veterinary Entry Document (CVED) (at Annex I toCommission Regulation (EC) No. 282/2004) must be submitted with part 1completed either manually or via TRACES1(Trade Control and Expert System).Further information is available athttp://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-trade/eu/traces/Please copy the documentation to the NBU.

14. Please note that consignments arriving by airmail are sent to the parcelforce depotat Coventry and then returned to the BIP for the necessary veterinary checks to becarried out. In order to avoid these transit delays, consignments should be sent bycargo as these will be transported directly to the BIP on arrival at the airport.

15. On arrival at the BIP, the original health certificate will be retained and part 2 of theCVED will be completed by the official veterinarian confirming that all the veterinarychecks have been carried out. The consignment will then be released. A copy ofthe completed CVED should accompany the consignment to its destination.

Heathrow BIPAnimal Reception Centre,Beacon Road,Heathrow Airport,HounslowMiddlesex TW6 3JFTel: 020 8759 7002Fax: 020 8564 8939

Manchester BIPBarton Hall AnimalHealth Centre,Garstang Road,PrestonPR3 5HETel: 01772 861144Fax: 01772 861798

Gatwick BIPAnimal Health Division,Liberty House,105 Bell Street,ReigateRH2 7JBTel: 01737 242242Fax: 01737 241189

CHARGES FOR VETERINARY CHECKS

16. Under the Animals (Third Country Imports) (Charges) Regulations 1997,charges are made for veterinary checks on animals, including bees entering the UKfrom countries outside the EU. Please check with the BIP for details of the feesapplying to imports of bees when notifying your import.

POST IMPORT CONTROLS FOR BEES

17. These controls are aimed at reducing the risk of the introduction and spread ofexotic bee pests, in particular the small hive beetle and tropilaelaps mites (which

1TRACES is the system used for notifying Member States of movements of live animals and certain other

commodities into or through their territories. TRACES helps competent authorities in each Member State tomeet their EU animal and public health obligations.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-trade/eu/traces/http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-trade/eu/traces/http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-trade/eu/traces/http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-trade/eu/traces/


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are notifiable). When you receive a consignment of imported queen honey beesyou must:

(i) Transfer the queens to new (queen) cages before they are introduced to anylocal colonies.

(ii) Send the (queen) cages, attendant worker bees and other material thataccompanied the queen bees from their country of origin to the NBU within 5days of receipt for examination for the presence of the small hive beetle andtropilaelaps mites.

18. Bee packages from New Zealand are subject to a % check (depending on thequantity imported) at the destination apiary.

19. You must destroy the .container in which any colony of imported bumble bees wastransported and all material that accompanied the bees either during orimmediately at the end of the lifespan of the imported colony.

OTHER INFORMATION

PACK ING PRECAUTIONS

20. When sending bees and other material to the NBU, please use matchboxes orsmall cardboard containers, as bees travel well in such containers and arrive ingood condition for examination. Tin boxes, polythene bags or other airtightcontainers cause the sample to sweat and lead to rapid decomposition of the beesmaking an examination difficult.

SALES OF BEES

21. It is good practice to keep records of beekeepers to whom you have sold anyimported bees. This will enable them to be contacted quickly by the NBU in theevent of any pests and diseases being found in the imported consignment.Beekeepers registered on the NBUs BeeBase database(www.nationalbeeunit.com)can record a purchase, sale or gift of bees within theirBeeBase records.

22. A suggested form for keeping records of sales/purchases of bees is also includedin the Healthy Bees Plans Advice Note for Obtaining Beeswhich is available onBeeBase.
http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/


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ANNEX A

MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Austria Finland Latvia Slovakia

Belgium France Lithuania Slovenia

Bulgaria Germany Luxembourg Spain

Cyprus** Greece Malta Sweden

Czech Republic Hungary Poland The Netherlands

Denmark Ireland Portugal

Estonia Italy Romania

ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES OUTSIDE THE EU AS LISTED IN COMMISSION

REGULATION (EU) NO 206/2010

Albania IsraelAlgeria KenyaArgentina Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of

Australia MadagascarBahrain MauritiusBelarus MexicoBelize MoroccoBosnia-Herzegovina NamibiaBotswana New CaledoniaBrazil New Zealand

Canada PanamaChile ParaguayChina, Peoples Republic of NicaraguaColombia Russian FederationCosta Rica Serbia and MontenegroCuba South AfricaCroatia SwazilandEl Salvador SwitzerlandEthiopia ThailandFalkland Islands TunisiaGreenland Turkey

Guatemala UkraineHong Kong United States of AmericaHonduras UruguayIceland ZimbabweIndia

** northern Cyprus remains outside the EU for import purposes.


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ANNEX B

CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

FROM OTHER MEMBER STATES

Either: (a) the bees/bumble beescome from an area which is not the subject of aprohibition order associated with an occurance of American foul brood (AFB). (Theperiod of prohibition must have continued for at least 30 days following the lastrecorded case and the date of which all hives within a radius of three kilometres hasbeen checked by the competent authority and all infected hives burned or treatedand inspected to the satisfaction of the competent authority.)

Or (a) the bumble bees, come from an environmentally isolated structure recognisedby and under the supervision of the competent authority of the member state whichis free of AFB and was inspected immediately prior to despatch and all bumblebees and breeding stock showed no clinical signs or suspicion of disease.

And (b) the bees/bumble bees come from an area of at least 100km radius which is notthe subject of any restrictions associated with the suspicion or confirmed occuranceof the small hive beetle or the Tropilaelaps mite and where these infestations areabsent.

And (c)the bees/bumble bees as well as their packaging, have undergone a visualexamination to detect the occurance of the small hive beetle their eggs or larvae orother infestations in particular Tropilaelaps mites affecting bees.

FROM OUTSIDE THE EU

Queen honey and queen bumble bees must:

Come from a territory in which AFB, small hive beetle and tropilaelaps mites are notifiablethroughout the whole territory.

Come from a breeding apiary which is supervised and controlled by the competentauthority.

Come from an area which is not the subject of any restrictions associated with anoccurance of AFB and where no such occurance has taken place within at least 30 days

prior to the issue of the present certificate. Where an outbreak has occurred previously, allhives within a 3 kilometre radius must have been checked by the competent authority andall infected hives burned or treated to the satisfaction of the competent authority within 30days of the last recorded case.

Come from hives (or colonies in the case of bumble bees) from which samples of thecomb have been tested and found negative in the last 30 days for AFB as laid down in theOIE Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals.

Come from an area of at least 100km radius which is not the subject of any restrictionsassociated with the occurance of the small hive beetle or the Tropilaelaps mite and wherethese infestations are absent.


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Have undergone detailed examinations to ensure that all bees and packaging do notcontain the small hive beetle or their eggs or larvae or other infestations in particularTropilaelaps mites affecting bees.

Come from hives (or colonies in the case of bumble bees) which were inspectedimmediately prior to despatch and show no clinical signs or suspicions of disease including

infestations affecting bees.

The packing material, queen cages, accompanying products and food are new and havenot been in contact with diseased bees or brood combs and all precautions have beentaken to prevent contamination with agents causing diseases or infestations of bees.

Bumble bees must:

Have been bred and kept under a controlled environment within a recognisedestablishment which is supervised and controlled by the competent authority;

The establishment referred to above was inspected immediately prior to despatch and allbumble bees and breeding stock showed no clinical signs of suspicion of disease includinginfestations affecting bees;

Have undergone detailed examination to ensure that all bumble bees, brood-stock andpackaging do not contain the small hive beetle or its eggs and larvae, or other infestations,in particular tropilaelaps mites affecting bees.

The packing material, containers, accompanying products and food are new and have notbeen in contact with diseased bees or brood combs, and all precautions have been takento prevent contamination with agents causing diseases or infestations of bees.

BEES FROM NEW ZEALAND

Honey bees and bumble bees must:

Come from a breeding apiary, which is supervised and controlled by the competentauthority

In the case of honey bees, hives come from an area which is not the subject of anyrestrictions associated with an occurance of AFB, and where no such occurance has taken

place within at least 30 days prior to the issue of the present certificate. Where anoutbreak of AFB has occurred previously, all hives within a radius of three kilometres havebeen checked by the competent authority and all infected hives burned or treated andinspected to the satisfaction of the competent authority within 30 days following the lastrecorded case.

Are from hives or come from hives or colonies (in the case of bumble bees) which wereinspected immediately prior to despatch (normally within 24 hours) and show no clinicalsigns or suspicion of disease including infestations affecting bees.

The packaging material, queen cages, accompanying products and food are new and

have not been in contact with diseased bees or brood combs and all precautions havebeen taken to prevent contamination with agents causing diseases or infestations of bees.

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