FEDERATED FARMERS BEES CHAIRMAN, JOHN HARTNELL

They say that as you get older the years seem to get shorter and time more scarce, however for most the reality is that running a business today is far more complex and time consuming than before. Compliance is on everyone's lips and it is certainly a major frustration for most as it inevitably leads to increased paperwork and costs to your business.

They say we are a land of milk and honey, which may be true, but that alone does not determine our fortunes. Once again the international exchange rate is playing a major part in determining incomes for the beekeeping community. Do we have a say, hell no, our dollar is highly inflated, our currency continues to be highly traded and it is the international currency trader who is making all the bucks.

What can we do? I suggested earlier this year that a quick fix would be to pay our politicians in US dollars. I am sure the currency issues we face now would be sorted pronto, as our leaders would find a 25 percent drop in their income unpalatable. Our banks say a correction will come - for us the big question is when.

So what of 2009? It was a very hectic year, we have faced a barrage of change relating to bio-security, the tightening of NZFSA requirements, ongoing work on honey standards, both table and active, and the challenges of ensuring that as an industry we meet the expectations of growers requiring pollination services from fruit to small seed.

From Federated Farmers policy and communications we have seen a huge lift in our profile across New Zealand, not easy considering we are often the single voice when it comes to farming issues. Our thanks go to Mark Ross, David Broome and their respective teams.

It is also appropriate to recognise and thank those volunteers who assisted at our 2009 Farm Day, the Leeston A&P Show, the Christchurch Royal Show, the Nelson A&P show and the many other initiatives in which the beekeeping industry was profiled. Being a visible part of the farming community is the key to our future.

Across the country we will again be holding Farm Day in every region and it is absolutely essential that the bee industry is well represented. Bees are a key draw card for young and old and Farm Day is not just an opportunity to promote our industry, but more importantly it provides a better understanding of the contribution bees make to everyday living.

Please note that Farm Day 2010 will be held on the date Sunday, 28th March. Your support is essential and further information will be sent out in the coming weeks.

Finally,  let the sun shine or the rain fall - depending what region you operate in of course and from the team at Federated Farmers, Bob, Shona and the executive, may 2010 be a special year - full supers, full of drums and a buoyant market.

Cheers,

John Hartnell
Phone:  03 349 5590
Fax:  03 349 5592
Mobile:  021 578 754
Email:  john@hartnellnz.com

'Trees for Bees’

Federated Farmers teamed up with Landcare Research in 2009 to develop a helpful new plant guide aimed at saving our honey bees. Serving as an educational tool for rural and urban communities, the ‘Trees for Bees' guide, was officially launched at the Royal Christchurch Show in November. The Trees for Bees guides consist of a series of 10 regional fact sheets, which indicate the shrubs and trees that are known to keep bees healthy with nutritious pollen and nectar. The guides aim to stop our bee population from declining further by informing farmers about what they can do to support and protect our threatened honey bee population. If you would like a copy of one of the guides, please click here or contact policy advisor, Shona Sluys, by clicking here.

Varroa news

Resistance to varroa treatments have been found in hives in Auckland. It is very important beekeepers monitor their hives closely, continue to alternate their varroa treatments and take certain measures to slow the risk of nationwide varroa resistance. Beekeepers who notice signs of resistance to varroa treatment in their hives should contact their regional AsureQuality office and test their colonies to confirm the diagnosis. Please click here for more information.

Please note that varroa resistance is directly attributed to the continued use of the same treatment variety for extended lengths of time. It is widely published that the time frame for resistance to occur is ten years, give or take. Common sense tells us that it is good management practice to alternate your treatment family either in spring and late summer or seasonally, this is recommended by all suppliers.

The second good piece of advice is to ensure you follow the instructions on the packet to the letter. The instructions are detailed for a good reason so do not shortcut or alter treatment recommendations, doing so will only jeopardise the effectiveness for you and your neighbouring beekeepers.

Beekeepers on Immediate Skills Shortage List

Earlier this year the Department of Labour reviewed the Immediate Skills Shortage List (ISSL). The ISSL is for occupations that have an immediate shortage of skilled workers in New Zealand. The ISSL is used only in relation to a temporary work policy. If an employee comes to work in New Zealand based on meeting the ISSL requirements, there is no direct link to residence. If an applicant produces an offer of employment in an occupation that is included on the current ISSL, visa and immigration officers will accept that no suitably qualified New Zealand citizens or residents are available. As a result of the Federated Farmers submission, Apiarist will remain on this list. The revised Immediate Skills Shortage List has been made available on the Immigration department's website by clicking here.

Nelson A&P Show

Rae Butler, a former beekeeper who is still passionate about bees, organised a weekend bee expo at the Nelson A&P show on Saturday, 21 and Sunday, 22 November last year. The exhibit won first prize for large trade display and best overall display for the whole show.  The exhibit included the Federated Farmer's ‘Trees for Bees' programme, beeswax candles by Rae Butler, honey from Nelson Honey Centre beekeeper Phil Cropp and samples of trees for bees from Richmond's Vibrant Earth Nurseries.  Public interest was high especially when Phil Cropp and Ricky Leahy opened up a beehive inside a net gazebo to teach people about the inside workings of a bee colony.  The public were able to gather around the gazebo to get a closer look at the bees safely.

Honey drums/pallecons

Earlier this year an issue arose regarding the lining compliance in the current EU Commission Standard 1895/2005. The issue was whether the lining or pallecon is suitable to come into direct contact with food (honey). In particular, Federated Farmers were interested in obtaining the appropriate approvals from the manufacturer of the lining as well as the correct application to the internal walls of the drum. We can now confirm that both Auckland Drum and Visy have the appropriate documented approvals from their lining suppliers. 

For your RMP you will require a letter from Visy or Auckland Drum, on their letterhead, which states that the lining/coating used is complaint with the EU directive and that the application of the lining/coating meets the guidelines and standards as determined by the supplier.

Please note it is not acceptable to just have a copy of a letter or fax from the lining/coating supplier. You must have the original letter from Visy or Auckland Drum on their company letterhead to meet RMP audit requirements. To view a copy of a drum letter, please click here.

Table honey standards

Currently the Bee Products Standards Council (BPSC) is progressing towards the implementation of the monofloral standards for table honey. For an update on their progress please click here.

Manuka honey steering group

The Manuka honey steering group was initiated after industry members met with the Hon David Carter and the Hon Kate Wilkinson at Parliament on the 23 June 2009. The meeting addressed the need to restore the reputation for integrity of New Zealand Manuka products exported overseas and the damage of ambiguous labelling by exporters and distributors of Manuka honey products with no Non Peroxide Activity (NPA) and consumer confusion about competing standards. For an update on the group's progress, please click here.

Bee Product Standards Council

It has been a busy year for the BPSC. Ongoing issues include Tutin, Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids, residue testing and EU Honey mobile extraction. For an update on the current activities, please click here.

By Graeme Albon, North Canterbury

Beekeepers, you need to and should take the time to stop and talk to the landowners whose property you keep your bees on. We are only there at their discretion and good grace. There's nothing worse than being told to shift your bee's at the most inconvenient time to you, all because you haven't kept or developed a good working relations with the landowner/manager. When you take over someone else's bees you need to take the time to communicate with the landowners. This unfortunately has not happened in the North Canterbury area. Bees have been taken over by someone new, but they not made the effort to speak to the landowner. The landowners have told me that they know someone is looking after the bees as there are fresh tyre tracks around the hives, but they haven't seen or heard from anyone. They are asking me to find out who is managing these bees now. This is an unacceptable situation. We beekeepers are already in a precarious enough position by not owning the land and we should do what ever it takes to maintain the tenure of our apiary sites. The value of a beekeeping operation is not great when the hives are stacked up in your back yard, so please keep up the communication.

By Jim Sim, Senior Programme Manager (Animal Products), New Zealand Standards, NZFSA.

Transport of bee products

By now all Risk Management Programme (RMP) premises should have been notified either by email (or by letter where we don't have an email address) about the need to cover transport in their RMP, to use transporters with an RMP or transporters who are operating under the Animal Products Transport Regulated Control Scheme (RCS). If you haven't been notified, please contact, Charlotte Treffers, by clicking here to check that we have the correct email address for you and/or that your postal address is correct. These letters are generic in nature so below is a summary of what this means for the transport of bee products from 1 November 2009.

Transport by domestic-only premises/beekeepers

There are no specific transport requirements for domestic-only bee products produced under the Food Act regime, however there is a general obligation on the beekeeper to not contaminate honey, other bee products or packaging during transportation or processing where honey or other bee products are subsequently sold. Bee products must be sound if being sold as a food product, be fit for human consumption, must not be likely to cause injury and must be free from contamination under the Food Act. Food for domestic sale must be processed and packed in a premise registered under the Food Hygiene Regulations 1974, under an approved Food Safety Programme or under a Risk Management Programme (RMP) under the Animal Products Act.  Where a domestic-only RMP premise transports products to another premise with an RMP, that transport needs to be undertaken in compliance with Part 15 of the Animal Products (Specifications for Products Intended for Human Consumption) Notice 2004. Details of this notice can be found by clicking here.

Transport of full supers to RMP premises by beekeepers

Beekeepers that harvest honey and transport supers to an extraction facility with an RMP are already exempt from needing an RMP. However, this means that transport to the extraction facility does not fall under the RCS either. The beekeeping part of the operation has a few general requirements around avoiding contamination including during transport. These requirements are found in clause 108 of the Animal Products (Specifications for Products Intended for Human Consumption) Notice 2004. For more information on this notice, please click here.

Transport of product between RMP premises and on to export

Under the Animal Products Act transport of animal products and animal materials intended for export with official assurances must occur under an RMP unless a Regulated Control Scheme (RCS) is in place. This must have been done by 1 November, as without on various animal product industries, including bee products, would have found themselves in a very difficult compliance position. In the past, businesses that transport products had until 2 November to register an RMP or cease transporting export animal products with official assurances. The RCS gives the industry the ability to bring in a system that is easier for businesses to sign up to and which can be implemented in stages. An RMP can't be implemented in stages, you either meet all the RMP requirements or you don't have an RMP.  However, certain RMP can be deemed to be compliant with the RCS for a specified period of time.

Transport methods

Transport of bee products between RMP premises and then on to export shipment must be undertaken in one of the following ways:

1. By the RMP premises itself with transport included as part of the premises' RMP - Businesses that transport their own products with an existing RMP are deemed compliant until 31 March 2010, by when they must have amended their RMP to include transport. NZFSA is developing a template for operators to use for this purpose and operators will need to notify the NZFSA that they have added the transport clip-on once they have done this. The template should be available from the NZFSA website within the next few weeks. The AP50 form, which can be found by clicking here, will also need to be completed to allow the NZFSA to update records. There will be a small service charge for this minor amendment as detailed on the AP50 form. There is an option to add transport without using the template, but this may not be for a minor amendment. Any amendment not using the template needs to ensure product transportation complies with Part 15 of the Animal Products (Specifications for Products Intended for Human Consumption) Notice 2004. More details of this notice can be found by clicking here.

2. By a sub-contractor to the business covered by the RMP business's RMP - The subcontractor could be a transport firm or a beekeeper shifting drums from a contract extractor to a store. Either way there needs to be a written arrangement between the RMP premises and the sub-contractor to make it clear what the arrangement is. Businesses with an existing RMP that do this are deemed compliant until 31 March 2010, by when they must have amended their RMP to include transport, as stated above. The NZFSA template for operators is expected to include an option and documentation for use with sub-contractors. Note that by covering a sub-contractor with your RMP you are taking responsibility for compliance of the sub-contractor's vehicle, documentation and handling of product. These will all need to be documented and sub-contractors vehicles may need to be available for checking when the RMP is verified.

3. By a registered transporter, operating under the transport RCS or with an RMP - Check out the transport RCS notice, by clicking here  and its amendment, by clicking here. All transporters listed under the Overseas Market Access Requirement (OMAR) 00/94 and 02/107 have been automatically registered under the RCS, apart from those who have opted to extend the scope of their dairy transport RMP to cover other product transport. Either way all those OMAR listed transporters are legally able to carry bee products. The web register for the transport RCS will be on line from December 2009. Until that time you can continue to refer to the existing transport list on this web page, which can be found by clicking here, as well as the transport ID for your Eligibility Document (ED) and transfer documents. These are the only options for transporting product once secondary processing is undertaken for the product to retain eligibility for official assurances. Beekeepers who shift product themselves between RMP premises, but don't currently have an RMP themselves, need to either register under the RCS as soon as possible and ensure they meet all its requirements by 31 March, be sub-contracted under an existing premises RMP or register their own transport RMP as soon as possible.

Otago, by Michael Vercoe

The thyme crop looks almost as good as last year and the prospects for white honey are hopeful. Most areas are February type dry, but it's been a long time since rain. The high country is looking okay and with even a little rain I can see us getting some sort of crop.

South Canterbury, by Peter Bell

As I write this we are in the same old position of wondering what the crop will be like. Will we get more much needed rain? Will it stop blowing so much? The spring started off early and ground conditions were wet. The end of August and September warmed up with hot days and little wind. Hives along the coast received good willow flows, but October turned cold with cold south west winds, meaning the late flowering willow was disappointing. The mating turned out average, with enough fine days for queen to get out. By the end of October the high-country looked good, with average ground moisture levels and, despite a lot of cold south westerlies, the season continued to be early. Hieracium start flowering about ten days earlier than normal bringing an end to feeding in a lot of areas, but November turned out to be a very dry month with a hot north westerly. At the start of the month we were still getting frosts, as there was still a lot of snow on the tops, but as the month went on hot winds melted this and we were desperate for rain with many areas burning off. Total rain fall for November was 2mm and reports from down country were that the hot north westerly had dried most of the area out. A change in the weather pattern is needed and December has started us on the road back to good crop prospects. 22mm of rain was seen in the first week, with warm muggy weather breathing life back it to some areas. Unfortunately however, the Waitaki only saw 6mm.

Abandoned hives

Federated Farmers Bees would like to know if you have neglected or abandoned hives on your property. Managing bee disease is vital for the ongoing sustainability of beekeeping and pollination services. The American Foul Brood Pest Management Strategy requires that all beehives are registered and apiary details are recorded on the national database. Please assist us by calling 0800 327 646 or emailing details of any neglected or abandoned hives, by clicking here. Alternatively, you can fax your report to 03 357 9451.

Suspect an exotic disease or pest? Then phone 0800 80 99 66

It is important if you suspect an exotic pest or disease that you phone the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's (MAF) Exotic Disease and Pest 24 hour emergency hotline on 0800 99 66. That way MAF Biosecurity can investigate and advise as necessary. All calls are kept in confidence.

Agricultural vehicles guide

The Agricultural Vehicles Guide is now available on the Federation's website. The guide details the requirements for getting various agricultural vehicles including tractors, trailers and harvesters legal for the road. The guide covers topics such as registration and licensing, road user charges, vehicle equipment, driver licensing and logbook requirements. To purchase the guide, please click here.

Conference 2010

The next Federated Farmers Bees conference will be held in Blenheim from Tuesday, 1 to Thursday, 3 June 2010 at the Heartland Hotel Marlborough. Please pencil this date in your diaries, as we are looking forward to seeing you all there. More information will follow in the few next months.

Your notices

If you have a meeting notice you would like to advertise in the BIG Picture, please contact policy advisor, Shona Sluys, by clicking here or by calling 0800 327 646.

Industry training for you and your team

Improve productivity with training and development for you and your staff. Industry-funded Agriculture ITO training means fewer mistakes, greater efficiency and increased motivation. Federated Farmers members also receive a fantastic discount. Contact your local Agriculture ITO advisor on 0800 691 111, to discuss a training plan for your business.

Freefall Wines

Founded by New Zealand adventurer and bungy co-founder, Henry van Asch, Freefall Wines celebrates the New Zealand passion for wine. Check out this great selection and many more at Wines Online, by clicking here.

More member benefits and offers

To view special discounts exclusive to Federated Farmers members, please call 0800 327 646 or click here to log onto our members only area.

Employment contracts, agreements and leases

These include land, stock, contractor, sales and purchase, agreement to grow, log books, access pads, Over Dimension Certificates and employment. Remember, it's a legal requirement to have an employment contract for EVERY employee so if you don't have a current employment agreement, then order one now. Contracts, agreements and leases are available in both electronic and hard copy formats for your convenience. To purchase, call 0800 FARMING or click here.

New members welcome

Federated Farmers Bees are always looking for new members. As with any organisation or group there are meetings and opportunities to participate in discussion groups as well as having your say on the future of beekeeping in New Zealand, there are plenty of challenges ahead. So if you know someone that may like to join Federated Farmers Bees, please recommend them to us. As you know our best referrals come from our members, so if you do introduce a new member, you will receive a $50 petrol voucher as a thank you for the work you do.

Contact us

If you have any questions or comments about matters in this newsletter, or anything else relating to the bee industry, please contact the Bee industry group executive or committee by clicking here. Alternatively, you can contact policy advisor, Shona Sluys, by clicking here or by calling 0800 327 646.