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By rdnewsNOW Staff

Keeping Alberta beekeepers flying

Governments of Alberta and Canada launch funding program for beekeepers hit by losses

Jun 22, 2023 | 1:22 PM

The Government of Alberta has announced a partnership with the Government of Canada that they say will help beekeepers hit hard by extreme cold and varroa mites.

Officials claim Alberta is Canada’s biggest honey-producing province, accounting for nearly 41 per cent of the country’s 2022 total, and relies on bees as essential pollinators and a steadily growing sector of the agriculture industry.

However, over the 2021-22 winter, they say Alberta’s beekeepers experienced high losses due to extreme cold weather and varroa mite infestations. Officials note some reported losses as high as 50 per cent, well above Alberta’s average winter losses of about 27 per cent.

READ: Varroa mite causes Red Deer beekeepers to lose hives

The Canada-Alberta Bee Colony Replacement Assistance Initiative, an AgriRecovery program delivered by Agricultural Financial Services Corporation (AFSC), will be compensating eligible commercial beekeepers that purchased replacement colonies, bee packages or queens between Jan. 1, 2022, and May 1, 2023.

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“Bees are key to Alberta’s agriculture industry. Crop producers rely on them as pollinators, and they produce millions of pounds of honey every year. This program will help our beekeepers mitigate some of their costs after a tough couple winters and continue to produce the honey in demand across the world,” said RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation.

AgriRecovery is a federal-provincial-territorial disaster relief framework to help agricultural producers with the costs associated with recovering from disaster situations. Eligible costs will be supported on the 60/40 federal-provincial cost-shared basis outlined under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

“Beekeepers and healthy bee populations play a vital role in the sustainable production of many high-value agricultural crops. With support to help overcome this unique sector challenge and recover unexpected colony losses, beekeepers will be better equipped for future growing seasons,” said Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Registered commercial beekeepers with 100 or more colonies under Alberta’s Bee Act may be eligible for compensation to mitigate extraordinary costs associated with purchased colony, bee packages or queens between Jan. 1, 2022, and May 1, 2023.

“The Alberta Beekeepers Commission is grateful for the effort and support of Agriculture and Irrigation and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in advocating on the commission’s behalf following one of the most devastating overwintering losses in 2021-22. AgriRecovery will help our eligible producers to recover, building back to a viable and thriving beekeeping industry,” said Connie Phillips, Executive Director of Alberta Beekeepers Commission.

Completed application forms and all supporting documents are due by July 31 and an AFSC identification number is required. Applicants may submit their applications through AFSC Connect online, in person at a branch office or by fax.

“We are proud to support Alberta’s beekeepers through this AgriRecovery initiative. We understand the impacts the extreme cold weather and varroa mites had on our beekeepers, and AFSC continues to do everything we can to ensure they receive the help they need,” said Darryl Kay, AFSC Chief Executive Officer.

Last year, the province says Alberta beekeepers produced more than 30 million pounds of honey, down nearly 11 per cent from 2021. That same year, they say Alberta international exports of honey totalled $18 million, up 49.3 per cent from 2021. As well, they state Japan was the leading market for provincial honey exports, with 68 per cent of the total ($12.2 million), followed by the United States, with 27 per cent ($4.9 million).