Invasive Species Policy Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-26 ============================================================ Kieran O'Donnell (FG), Limerick City A Chathaoirligh, I join you in your sentiments towards the guests in the Public Gallery. I thank Senator Murphy for raising this important issue. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Heydon. The Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill 2021, which the Senator referenced, is a Private Members' Bill currently before Dáil Éireann on Second Stage and is subject to procedures of the Oireachtas. The Bill aims to ban the importation of non-native species or sub-species of, and strains derived from, Apis mellifera. Trade in bees is permitted and governed by EU law. EU animal health regulations set down rules for entry of bees into and movement within the EU. These EU regulations contain specific provisions to safeguard the health of bees located in the territory of the Union. All imported bees are accompanied by a health certificate issued by the country of export. There are approximately 4,400 active beekeepers in Ireland maintaining approximately 27,000 colonies of bees. A number of these beekeepers are commercial beekeepers who outsource the breeding and selection of bees and therefore rely on the importation of honeybees. Nevertheless, there has been a steady decline in the number of honeybees imported into Ireland over the past few years. There are concerns that a statutory ban on bee imports into Ireland could constitute a restriction on trade under EU regulations. Accordingly, further legal advice was sought on the compatibility of the Bill with EU Single Market rules. Following receipt of this advice, which recommended a scientific review, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine sought tenders for research services on the native Irish honeybee, Apis mellifera mellifera . The tender sought independent scientific evidence in the form of a comprehensive assessment of the threat to the native Irish honeybee and the impact upon biodiversity and the ecosystem from the crossing and cross-breeding of the native Irish honeybee with non-native species or sub-species of and strains derived from Apis mellifera imported to Ireland. In October 2023, a contract was signed with the National University of Ireland Galway, NUIG, for the provision of research services on the native Irish honeybee, Apis mellifera mellifera . The research work concluded in December 2024 and the research report was subsequently evaluated by an external expert. Following the completion of the evaluation, the research service provider, NUIG, was afforded the opportunity to respond to the evaluator's comments and these comments were received in September 2025. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is currently finalising the overall response to the report. The Government is very supportive of beekeepers and beekeeping associations in their efforts to conserve the native Irish honeybee. The Exchequer-funded grants to Irish national beekeepers' federations provides an annual grant to the four Irish national beekeepers' federations. In 2025, the four national beekeeping federations received a total of €25,500 through this measure for initiatives, including the conservation of the native Irish honeybee. Funding has also been provided for the conservation of the native Irish honeybee under conservation of plant and animal genetic resources scheme. Irish beekeeping is supported through the provision of grant aid for capital investments by individual beekeepers in specialised beekeeping-related equipment and structures, including specialised bee breeding equipment. Lastly, €121,000 was paid out under the national apiculture programme in 2025 to support beekeeping through an approved applied research project. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-26/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:59+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-26