Reimbursements for NSW registered beekeepers affected by the Varroa mite outbreak

Overview

This program aims to reimburse commercial beekeepers for hives affected by biosecurity operations to control the declared varroa mite biosecurity emergency.

The options for financial reimbursement are:

• euthanasia of bees and destruction and disposal of hive ware
• euthanasia of bees and retention of hive ware
• euthanasia of nucleus hives.

The reimbursement amount for commercial beekeepers is calculated based on evidence collected by the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) authorised officer, and will take into consideration the value of:

• the particular hives destroyed
• the queen bee/s destroyed
• any honey stocks destroyed
• replacing capital items destroyed
• other costs incurred by the beekeeper as a direct result of the biosecurity actions.

Check if you can apply

Commercial beekeepers must:

• be a DPI registered beekeeper
• have an Australian business number (ABN) linked to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) beekeeping code (01930)
• be a trading entity with tax returns showing you or your business were in active production at the time of the emergency response
• have a DPI varroa case number for the destruction of hives as part of the varroa mite response
• have been sent a claim link by an authorised officer to the Rural Assistance Authority’s reimbursement form post-destruction or inspection.

Recreational beekeepers must:

• be a registered beekeeper
• have a varroa case number for the destruction of hives as part of the varroa mite response
• have been sent a claim link by an authorised officer to the Rural Assistance Authority’s reimbursement form post-destruction or inspection.