REPORT OF THE CHAIRMAN

SOUTH AFRICAN BEE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 30TH MAY 2015

  1. When I took on the position of Chairman of SABIO 2 years ago – after my fellow Board Members made me stand on a plank and said start walking because in 2 years’ time you will have reached Shark infested waters – I couldn’t have realized what running an organisation like SABIO would mean as a learning curve in the beekeeping industry. There is so much going on and so many issues at stake, and particularly so many issues that SABIO is involved in, that to those detractors who are constantly complaining about the state of affairs in the beekeeping industry in South Africa, I say, “Wake up and smell the flowers and the trees and the opportunities which surround you in this industry.”
  1. We often hear the cliché that the industry is at the crossroads and if we don’t choose which way we are going, we might as well go back from where we have come. But I believe we are past the crossroads. Let us look ahead for the opportunities which we have in the industry and which we can work together on for the benefit of all involved in the different niches of our sector and put aside personal differences and antagonisms which divide a community.
  1. Over the past year SABIO has been involved in a number of important issues affecting the industry which I would like to highlight.
  1. The Irradiation Issue –Importation ofHoney from the African continent, in particular Tanzania & Zambia. During 2013 a series of meetings were held with DAFF to discuss the proposed government policy to discontinue the irradiation requirements on honey sourced in Zambia and Tanzania. SABIO participated in these discussions making representations not to proceed with such policies. However with the outbreak of AFB in the country it was difficult to argue that this should be the sole reason why bee products should be subjected to irradiation treatment, although we made out a strong case to not discontinue this practice for selected countries. During 2014, although no further meetings were held, SABIO made further representations on paper to the authorities on the prescribed conditions under which honey from Zambia should be allowed in without the requisite irradiation treatment. Despite our concerns and commentary on the appropriate prescribed conditions we were recently informed that Honey originating from Zambia would be allowed into the country without irradiation treatment so long as the Zambian Authorities were able to declare through Veterinary Certification that the country was AFB and Nosema free.
  1. AGCHEM (Pollinator) Forum. As reported in last year’s Chairman’s report SABIO was instrumental in reviving the original Pollinator Forum which has now changed its name to the AGCHEM Forum to address issues facing the Agricultural Chemical Sector and its interaction with the Beekeeping Sector. Following another meeting of this Forum in July last year whereafter the Forum’s activities under the auspices of DAFF subsided somewhat, I personally held a meeting with the Registrar of Act 36 of 1947 to get the process back on track. Unfortunately, despite assurances that this would take place we have had no further commitment from government on this initiative. However we still have the support and commitment from the private sector companies in the field of Agricultural Chemicals and we will continue to persevere with this project with them.
  1. Consol Glass Project – New honey jar. Consol Glass approached the Bee Industry last year regarding their ideas of introducing a new honey jar onto the market. SABIO liked the idea and engaged with them on further talks. They undertook to carry out further consultations around the country on the feasibility, shape of the jar and support for this project from Beekeepers. However following my recent contact with them they have now advised that due to major refurbishment at their factory premises they have shelved all such projects for the time being but will reconsider this again in 2016.
  1. New Beekeeping Act. Following the promulgation of the revised Control Measures in November 2013 SABIO was involved in pushing for a new Beekeeping Act specifically for our sector; especially given that we were informed the Agricultural Pests Act was being phased out. During 2014 SABIO drafted a proposed new Act and submitted it to DAFF for discussion purposes. It covered all aspects of statutory beekeeping requirements in the country incorporating those measures adopted in November 2013. No further progress from DAFF has been made on this project since early 2014 and following a recent enquiry to DAFF on the state of progress of this legislation we have been informed that the changes to legislation involving bees and bee diseases has now been passed on the Veterinary Services Department. This has come as quite a surprise to us as not only were we not informed but we have been trying for some years now to persuade DAFF that Beekeeping should fall under the auspices of the Veterinary Department and not Plant Health. We were furthermore told that it could take up to 7 years to promulgate new legislation. We have protested this claim, saying that we have already submitted a full draft of a new Beekeeping Act and it is unnecessary for whichever Department takes on this responsibility to redraft new legislation. Unfortunately we are dependent on Government to expedite this process.
  1. Honey Standards – SABS. This project was initiated some years ago by an individual in the Beekeeping Industry whereby SABS was persuaded to investigate the drafting of Honey Standards for the industry. Participation on the project committee ended up in SABIO’s lap and at the one meeting I attended organized by SABS I was the only beekeeping representative. The one other person at the meeting was a DAFF official. The meeting was hosted by three SABS coordinating officials. No further progress was made by SABS in the continuance of this project. SABIO felt that the current (statutory) standards in place were sufficiently comprehensive enough to retain the status quo. There also appeared to be a certain conflict of interest between what SABS wanted to re-invent and what DAFF considered their prerogative in terms of custodianship regarding standards and in November last year SABIO supported the proposal by SABS to shelve the project.
  1. Registration of Beekeepers – since handing over this responsibility, SABIO has been working closely with DAFF to improve the process of registration and to encourage beekeepers to register. At a recent meeting between SABIO and DAFF held in the first week of May 2015 to discuss the recent outbreak of AFB,DAFF indicated that to date 753 persons countrywide have registered, compared to the 289 who had registered in the inaugural year (2014).

The Western Cape is leading the pack with the most registered but that is because every man and his mother-in-law has a beehive in their backyard in that province. I am told that behind every gum tree in the Western Cape you will find a beehive with a different number on it!!

Kwa-Zulu Natal is fourth on the list which is at least better than how their rugby team is doing this year in the Super 15 competition.

There was apparently only 1 beekeeper known to have registered in the Northern Cape – but DAFF refuses to release the names to us of beekeepers who have registered because (they say) due to the recently promulgated POPI Act!!

  1. We were also very lucky to have had a dedicated member from the Western Cape in the form of Ferdie Du Preez who started an Apicultural Column in the Farmers Weekly on a monthly basis promoting beekeeping and always acknowledging SABIO in each article. Thanks must go to him for this commitment.
  1. This leaves me with the two big remaining issues which SABIO became involved in during the course of the last year.
  1. Thanks to Jaco Wolfaardt in his role on the Board as international liaison officer, SABIO first of all became involved in the bid to host the 2019 Apimondia Congress in Cape Town. Together with his Bid Committee team comprising Mike Allsopp and John Moodie, as well as a number of other players whom he roped in, they went about with enthusiasm and excitement to achieve a very worthy cause for South African beekeeping. I know he and his team were very disappointed when they had to make the decision to withdraw from the bidding process due to the lack of sponsorship and financial support for the bid. (Just a pity we didn’t have a spare $10m US Dollars lying around at the time!) But all is not in vain as the experience they gained from this process should not be discarded if ever the opportunity comes our way again.
  1. Another milestone which SABIO achieved on the international arena was our involvement on the African continent which Jaco secured through his contacts, firstly at the Api Trade Fair held in Zimbabwe in October last year and the Apimondia meeting held in Tanzania in November 2014. More recently Jaco represented SABIO and Mike Allsopp represented South Africa on the Africa Apimondia Forum held under the auspices of the AU- IBAR Committee both in December 2014 and more recently in April 2015. SABIO will continue to support the African initiative so long as funds are available and there are dedicated persons like Jaco who are prepared to promote this important dialogue with the rest of Africa.
  1. The second big issue which SABIO was involved in during the past year was our involvement in addressing, together with the Western Cape Bee Industry Association, our fight against American Foul Brood. We set up and participated in 2 important meetings with DAFF, the first in Januarythis year in Stellenbosch and the second more recently this month (May 2015) in Pretoria. Both meetings were positive in our relationship in working together with DAFF and I do believe they are sincere in working with us to deal with the AFB crisis. At our last meeting 4 weeks ago, DAFF has pledged a large sum of money (the amount being R150, 000)toassist with promoting further Awareness Campaigns and Monitoring of the disease. At this meeting SABIO made the proposal of establishing and implementing a coordinated AFB Management Strategy for South Africa, which proposal was endorsed by DAFF.
  1. With regards the fight against AFB, SABIO applauds the measures taken by the Western Cape Bee Industry Association in organizing the coordinatedRoadshow Awareness Campaign. Ignorance is the advantage which any adversary will use to gain the upper hand and we cannot allow the ignorance of beekeepers on how to deal with the disease to be the downfall of this industry. We would also like to extend special thanks to both Mike Allsopp of the ARC, Stellenbosch and also to Riaan van Zyl, DAFF Inspector in the Western Cape for the work they have done in dealing with this disease.
  1. Finally in closing I would like to extend a special thanks to the rest of my team on the SABIO Board for their involvement and commitment to running the Organisation. Being a Board Member is a voluntary job and often despite some open criticism from the beekeeping fraternity; that they cannot see what SABIO is doing for the industry, we on the Board will continue to go about quietly in a professional manner to address the needs of beekeeping in this county. So to Theunis Engelbrecht, Eddy van Zyl, Dawid Smit, Jaco Wolfaardt, Hannelie Human, Craig Campbell and Charles Salmon, thank you for your role on the SABIO Board. A special thank you to Dawid Smit for his help in the past year with managing our accounting system which is always a fine balancing act. I would also like to extend a special thank you to Eddy van Zyl who has decided to step down as a member of our Board after, I think, more than a decade of serving the industry in this capacity. However he has assured me that he will always be available to serve in an advisory capacity given his extensive knowledge of the industry.
  1. Lastly I do need to say, and maybe this sounds like an annual broken record, but SABIO is not just the 8 persons who sit on the Board. SABIO represents the industry and we need to be supported by the industry. More than ever now, we need all beekeepers to belong to SABIO. Yes, we will have our differences of opinions but that can become a healthy attribute if managed and utilised in a constructive manner.
  1. For those members who have continued to support this organisation over the years, we thank you and encourage you to continue supporting what SABIO aims to achieve and also encourage you to persuade other non-members to join.

Thank you!

MIKE MILES

Chairman: SABIO

30th May 2015