Australian Beekeepers Seek $140 Million Compensation for Forced Bee Extermination

Bees are seen on a honeycomb cell in Woolloomooloo, Australia, on May 14, 2021. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Australian beekeepers are seeking millions of dollars in compensation after their beehives were forcefully destroyed to stop the varroa mite infestation from spreading.

The New South Wales (NSW) state government first announced an $18 million (US$11.6 million) package to affected registered beekeepers when the varroa mite was first discovered near Newcastle in June 2022.

However, affected beekeepers say this existing government compensation payout is inadequate and does not account for the impact the forced destruction of hives has on their income and other agricultural sectors that rely on bees for pollinating.

Since the first varroa mite outbreak in June 2022, tens of millions of bees have been killed to try and stop the spread, with more than 14,000 beehives forcibly destroyed in the first four months of the outbreak.

With Australian beekeepers struggling after having their beehives and bees destroyed, beekeepers are seeking compensation of up to $140 million (US$90.5 million) from the state and federal government for losses and damages to their honey and pollination businesses.

NSW small business owner and beekeeper Dolfi Benesh said he has lost between $200,000 (US$129,000) and $300,000 (US$194,000) since he was forced to destroy his bee colony in October 2022.

“The bees were loaded with honey ready for the spring and I was ready to expand the business to get more hives,” Mr. Benesh told ABC news.

“That’s when I get a phone call—‘We’re going to come and kill your bees within a week’s time get ready.’”

“As soon as you don’t have your own honey fresh to put on the table … your sales drop by 50 percent.”

Mr. Benesh’s 53 hives were amongst the 40 million bees to be destroyed within 14 months, and was given about $30,000 in compensation by the NSW government, which he said would only cover the immediate cost of the hives, not the loss of business from not producing honey.

“As time goes by, I see the losses piling up,” Mr. Benesh said.

“I want to be properly compensated. Not having bees takes all the profitability from the business.”

Mr. Benesh is one of the beekeepers in the upcoming class action led by lawyer Stewart Levitt who said the state government is “basically destroying small business people” by not compensating beekeepers enough for the amount of losses caused.

“We’ve estimated that the compensation so far of around $19 million (US$12.3 million) for affected apiarists falls short of the mark between $77 million (US$49.8 million) and $140 million (US$90.5 million),” Mr. Levitt said, reported ABC news.

Even beekeepers with unaffected bee colonies but were within the emergency eradication zones have struggled because their beehives were destroyed.

“They’re not only destroying the beekeepers, they’re also threatening other industries in the agricultural and horticultural sector, and they’re doing it because of misguided and misconceived optimism which wasn’t accompanied by a fair and just attitude to compensation,” Mr. Levitt said on Sep. 1, reported AAP.

Compensation for Affected Beekeepers

While no varroa mites have been detected in Victoria, Victorian beekeepers are on high alert, as multiple varroa mites-infested sites have been detected just across the border in the Sunraysia region of NSW.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Agriculture said that more than $16 million (US$10.3 million) has been paid out to about 3,000 NSW beekeepers since the emergency response began.

Mr. Levitt said the door to the class action is open to incorporate any interstate beekeepers if the varroa mite infests bee colonies across the border.

“It depends on how contained the spread is in Victoria, but if it continues to proliferate then [it depends] if they adopt a similar compensation mechanism,” Mr. Levitt said.

The Honey Bee Industry Council was a signatory to the emergency response deed that set up the required management and funding for the response to pest incidents.

“The [compensation amounts] for the honey bee industry were reviewed in August 2022 and [the industry] was consulted and supported the review outcomes,” said a spokeswoman from the Department of Agriculture.

Managing Varroa Mites

As a major honey-producing country, Australia was the last inhabited continent that was free of the varroa mite until it was detected in hives in Newcastle in June 2022. No country has been able to eradicate the varroa mite after it entered the bee population.

The Australian Honey Bee Industry Council (AHBIC) held an online Member Bodies meeting on Aug. 30 to discuss whether the government should continue to try and eliminate the varroa mite or move to a more manageable approach-like how varroa mite is treated in other countries.

The AHBIC reported on Sep. 1 that the member bodies gave mixed support for the response effort but the overall expectation was to continue with the eradication of the varroa mite.

New Zealand first detected the varroa mite in 2000 which has since spread throughout the country, but New Zealand beekeepers have learnt to live with the parasite.

Miticide strips are a chemical treatment in the form of a rigid polymer strip that is attached to the inside of a hive.

The miticide strips release a chemical ingredient that treats several generations of varroa mites and reduces mite population as the chemical is toxic to the mite but safe for honey, beeswax, brood, the queen bee, and hive products.

Mark Goodwin, a New Zealand scientist who is recognised for his work on honey bees and pollination practices, helped New Zealand through its varroa mite response.

“The scenario of eradication is complicated enough but you also need to be very, very confident about where varroa is and isn’t before you go down that track,” Dr. Goodwin said, reported ABC news.

“If this was New Zealand, we would not have gone to eradication unless we were absolutely confident that we knew everywhere varroa was.”