Beekeeping and Bee Products Act (Chapter 50)

BEEKEEPING AND BEE PRODUCTS ACT LAWS OF SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES 1[CAP. 50 CHAPTER 50 Act 10 of 1947 amended by *Act ,3 of 1969 *Act 3 of 1978 *S.R.O. '38 of 1980 *Act 23 of 1988 *Act 20 of 1987 *S.R.O, 90f 1991 REVISED EDITION 1990 Beekeeping and Bee Products Printed and published with the authority of the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ) Beekeeping and Bee Products2 CAP;. 50] Original number 1-10 Numbering of sections Comment Index of subsidiary legislation Nil Present number 1-10 B l. Sho: 2. Inte: 3. Pow 4. Insp 5. Pow 6. Ded 7. Apia 8. Noti, t 9. Regt 10. Pene ',11' AN ACT purposes To 1. This 1 Act. 2. In thi leap col "be. ke] "bel du a ( sui "bel hi, kee ho nei 1. This Act may be cited as the Beekeeping and Bee Products Short title.: Act. BEEKEEPING AND BEE PRODUCTS ACT Commencement: 13th May 1947 3 Interpreta tion. [CAP., SO CHAPTER SO Beekeeping and Bee Products Arrangement of sections Short title. Interpretation. Power to apply Act to other diseases of bees and to declare pests. Inspector or Apiaries. Power of entry. Decision of Chief Agricultural Officer as to disease to be final. ' . Apiaries to be registered. Notification of disease. . Regulations. Penalties, l. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 2. In this Act "apiary" means a colony or a collection of two or more colonies of bees in hives; "bee" or "honey bee" means any honey producing bee kept for the extraction of honey; "bee products" includes honey, wax and any other pro duct of beekeeping, and any preparation made from a combination of honey or wax or both or any other substance derived from honey bees; "bee supplies" includes bees honey comb, foundation, hives, frames and anything needed or used in bee keeping and in the production and preparation of honey, bees-wax and any other product or thing necessary for beekeeping; 7. 8. 9. 10. AN ACT to regulate and control beekeeping and for other purposes relating thereto and connected therewith. 1-10 Present number n Iucts 3. The Governor-General may, by proclamation, include under the description of "disease" for the purposes of this Act any other disease of bees, and declare what living creatures shall be con sidered "pests" under this Act. . "colony" means a hive containing bees or a queen bee with the necessary number of drones and worker bees; " disease" includes the diseases of bees known as "Foul Brood" and "Isle of Wight disease of bees", and any other disease of bees which the Governor-General may, by proclamation, declare to be a disease of bees for the purpose of this Act; "hive" means the receptacle or any part thereof in which bees are kept; "honey" means the sweet viscous fluid produced and stored by honey bees; "pest" includes any bee moth, ant, bird, or other living creature which is or may become injurious to the honey bee and declared by the Governor-General, by proclama tion, to be a pest. (b) 7. Every 0 of any apiar Department in registerin 9. (1) n (a) 6. For the Agricultural final. (d) (e) (j) (c) 8. (1) Eve ment of an: disease in Sl in writing t, infected or ~ tion in his] The said no shall be ad, (2) Eve section is g (3) Wh managemen Act he shall disease, unl: that he had diligence h: .Beekeeping and Bee Products 4. The Governor-General may appoint a fit.and proper person to be Inspector of Apiaries (hereinafter referred to as "the Inspector"). The Inspector shall be under the control of the Chief Agricultural Officer and those members of the staff of the Depart ment of Agriculture to whom the Chief Agricultural Officer shall delegate authority. 5. (I) The Inspector may, with such assistance as may be necessary, enter on any land, whether open or enclosed, including any plantation, nursery, orchard, garden, pleasure ground, yard, house, building or other place where bees are kept, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. of any day for the purpose of inspec ting the hives or honey, for making inquiries as to disease and any other relative condition, and for discharging such duties as may be imposed upon him by this Act or any regulations made hereunder. (2) Any person who (a) obstructs or resists the Inspector in the performance of his duties; or (b) wilfully refuses to furnish any information which such person may be required to furnish by the regulations, is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of one hundred dollars and to imprisonment for one month. CAP. 50] Power of entry. Inspector of Apiaries. 4 . Power to apply Act to other diseases of bees and to declare pests, 6. For the purposes of this Act the decision of the Chief Ded}ion of Agricultural Officer as to the presence of any disease shall be ~;:~cultmal final. Offi~er as to disease to be final. 7. Every owner or person having the charge or management Apiaries of any apiary shall cause such apiary to be registered with the ;~g?,~ered, Department ofAgriculture. Any person who shall make default in registering such apiary is guilty of an offence against this Act. 8. (1) Every owner or person having the charge or manage- Notification f . hk cts the exi f of disease.ment 0 an apiary w 0 nows or suspects t e existence 0 any disease in such apiary shall, as soon as practicable, give notice in writing to the Inspector of the fact of the apiary being so infected or suspected and shall in such notice give all informa tion in his power as to the extent and nature of such disease. The said notice shall be served personally on the Inspector or shall be addressed to him by registered post. (2) Every person who contravenes the provisions of this section is guilty of an offence against this Act. (3) Where the owner or pqsou having the charge or management of an apiary is charged with an offence under this Act he shall be presumed to have known of the existence of the disease, unless and until he shows to the satisfaction ofthe court that he had no knowledge thereof arid could not with reasonable diligence have obtained that knowledge. 9. (1) The Governor-General may make regulations for- Regulations. (a) preventing the introduction and spread of diseases and pests among bees in Saini Vincent and the Grenadines, including the measures to be taken for the treatment of any disease by the owner or person having the charge or management of any apiary and the destruction of any pest or hive or apiary; (b) restricting and regulating the importation or exportation of bees, bee products and bee supplies into or out of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the fees chargeable in connection therewith; (e) fixing a standard of honey to be exported from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and grading honey, bees-wax and bee products; (d) prohibiting the adulteration of honey, bees-wax and other bee products; , (e) determining the duties of the Inspector; if) restricting the number of apiaries to be kept in any given area; and 5[CAP. 50Beekeeping and Bee Products ssistance as may be ir enclosed, including leasure ground, yard, rre kept, between the re purpose of inspec ies as to disease and :harging such duties my regulations made one hundred dollars r information which :l to furnish by the aation, include under ,of this Act any other eatures shall be con it and proper person referred to as "the e control ofthe Chief ie staff of the Depart ,cultural Officer shall fluid produced and .r in the performance part thereof in which bird, or other living Ijurious to the honey ;eneral, by proclama bees or a queen bee res and worker bees; lees known as "Foul re of bees", and any vernor-General may, isease of bees for the cts 10. Any person who contravenes any of the provisions ofthis Act or an); regulation made hereunder for which no specific penalty is provided is liable to a fine of two hundred and fifty dollars and to imprisonment for one month. (g) generally regulating, controlling, protecting and developing the beekeeping industry of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. (2) Regulations made under this section shall have no force or effect until they have been approved by the House of Assembly. Beekeeping and Bee ProductsCAP. 50] Penalties. 6