Swann Questions Muir on Lack of Action on Bee Inspector

South Antrim MP Robin Swann has written to Environment Minister Andrew Muir MLA to ask why, despite the lack of Bee Inspector in Northern Ireland, the Minister has not requested support from the APHA’s National Bee Unit.

In his letter to the Minister, Mr Swann said:

“As you will be aware, Northern Ireland does not currently have in place a dedicated ‘Bee Inspector’ responsible for the health of our bees and hives. I have recently called on Westminster to consider seconding an inspector to Northern Ireland to help address this issue.”

The South Antrim MP went on to say:

“Bees play an essential role in our local environment and biodiversity, and their protection must be a priority. As such, I am surprised that your department has not yet requested mutual assistance in this regard, and I am writing to ask why this is the case.”

The Ulster Unionist MP’s call comes after confirmation from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs confirmed that the Animal and Plant Health Agency's (APHA) National Bee Unit recently trained 50 new inspectors, including the National Bee Inspector, responsible for the well-being of hives in England and Wales. Northern Ireland does not currently have inspectors in place, putting our hives at much greater risk than those in Great Britain.