Question reference: S6W-03364
- Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 28 September 2021
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Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 October 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors imports and exports of honey bees.
Answer
All imports of Queen Honey Bees into GB must be notified through the Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS) and Scottish Government officials monitor the system daily.
The Scottish Government bee health inspectors and bee health diagnostic team at SASA ensure that all imports of Queen Honey Bees are compliant with the post import requirements of returning the original cages and attendant bees within 5 days of arrival for testing for notifiable pests and diseases.
In addition to the import certification requirements, Scottish Government bee health inspectors carry out risk based post import checks.
Equivalent procedures are in place for exporting bees from Scotland. Export certification requirements are dependent on the country of destination and are currently certified by Scottish Bee Inspectors.