Control measures relating to honey-bees (G.N. No. R. 858 of 2013)

AGRICULTURAL PESTS ACT, 1983 (ACT No. 36 OF 1983) CONTROL MEASURES RELATING TO HONEY-BEES I, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, acting under section 6 of the Agricultural Pests Act, 1983 (Act No. 36 of 1983), hereby (a) prescribe the control measures set out in the Schedule; and (b) repeal the Control Measure relating to Honey-bees published under Government Notice No. R. 1674 of 24 December 1998. T Joemat-Pettersson Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 4 No. 37015 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 15 NOVEMBER 2013 This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za GOVERNMENT NOTICES GOEWERMENTSKENNISGEWINGS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES DEPARTEMENT VAN LANDBOU, BOSBOU EN VISSERYE No. R. 858 15 November 2013 C M s h SCHEDULE Definitions 1. In these Regulations any word or expression to which a meaning has been assigned in the Act shall have that meaning and, unless the context otherwise indicates "apiary" means a site where a colony or colonies are kept in a beehive or beehives by a beekeeper; "area official" means an official designated by the executive officer for an area mentioned in Annexure B; "beehive" means a man-made structure built for the purpose of housing a colony of honey-bees utilising movable frames; "beekeeper" means a natural person who keeps, owns or is in charge of honey bees in beehives for commercial or recreational purposes, and includes a person who removes, eradicates or relocates colonies; "Capensis-infected colony" means a colony of African bees that has Cape bees present, characterised by queen loss and the reproduction of female offspring by the worker bees; "colony" means a honey-bee community, with or without combs with brood and honey stores which may be housed in a beehive or in a natural state; "honey-bee" means a bee of the species Apis mellifera with two southern African subspecies, Apis mellifera scutellata (African honey-bee) and Apis mellifera capensis (Cape honey-bee); "line" means the line starting at the point where the northern boundary of the Magisterial District of Vredendal and the western coastline of the Atlantic Ocean intersect and which runs from there in a generally easterly direction along the northern boundaries of the Magisterial Districts of Vredendal, Van Rynsdorp, Calvinia, Williston, Fraserburg, Beaufort West, Murraysburg, Graaff-Reinet, Cradock, Tarkastad, Sterkstroom, Glen Gray, lndwe, the northern boundary of Barkley East and south-easterly along the boundaries of the Magisterial Districts of Elliot, STAATSKOERANT, 15 NOVEMBER 2013 No. 37015 5 This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za Engcobo, Idutywa and Willowvale where it meets with the coastline of the Indian Ocean; "management measures" means the management measures which are technically justified to reduce the infection level of any disease, whether notifiable or otherwise, in such a way that clinical symptoms are no longer physically observed or detected as a result of a verifiable laboratory test; "notifiable disease" means those diseases or pathogens as designated in Annexure A; "the Act" means the Agricultural Pests Act, 1983 (Act No. 36 of 1983). Registration of beekeepers 2. (1) Every beekeeper shall register with the Department between 1 January and 31 March of each year. (2) An applicant shall, on the form obtainable from the executive officer furnish the Department with (a) in the case of a natural person, his or her (i) name; (ii) registration number (if previously registered); (iii) physical and postal address; (iv) fixed line and cellular phone number; (v) fax number; and (vi) e-mail address; (b) in the case of a juristic person, the (i) name of the juristic person; (ii) name of the responsible beekeeper; (iii) registration number of the juristic person (if previously registered); (iv) physical and postal address of the juristic person; (v) fixed line phone number of the juristic person; (vi) cellular phone number of the beekeeper of the juristic person; (vii) fax number of the juristic person; and (viii) e-mail address of the juristic person; and 6 No. 37015 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 15 NOVEMBER 2013 This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za (c) information regarding the (I) nature of the beekeeping operations; and (ii) the number of colonies kept; and (d) any other information requested on the form obtainable from the executive officer. (3) Every beekeeper shall on first registration be assigned a permanent registration number by the Department. (4) The beekeeper shall inform the Department within a reasonable time of any changes in the information provided under control measure 2 (2). (5) In the case of failure to comply with control measure 2 (1), a registered beekeeper shall be deregistered. Marking of beehives 3. (1) Every beekeeper must mark his beehives to display clearly and legibly the registration number allocated to him in terms of control measure 2 (3). (2) No person shall place any unmarked colonised beehive on any property except with the written authority of the executive officer. Record keeping 4. (1) Every beekeeper shall, during the period of registration, keep written records of the (a) number of colonies kept; (b) location of every apiary; (c) presence of any notifiable or other disease in the apiaries kept by the beekeeper; (d) management measures used to control any detected disease; and (e) number of colonies that ceased to exist, and the reasons for the loss. STAATSKOERANT, 15 NOVEMBER 2013 No. 37015 7 This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za (2) The executive officer may request a beekeeper to furnish additional records to the Department for the purposes of disease control. Inspections 5. (1) Every beekeeper shall conduct regular inspections of every colony kept in beehives at each apiary site to detect (a) clinical symptoms of notifiable bee diseases; or (b) Capensis-infected colonies. (2) Every beekeeper shall notify the executive officer or area official of the presence or suspected presence of any notifiable disease or Capensis-infected colony in a (a) colony kept in a beehive; or (b) colony in a natural state. (3) The executive officer may (a) instruct a beekeeper to conduct; or (b) personally conduct, an inspection of the beehives and colonies to determine whether there are any notifiable diseases or a Capensis-infected colony on the property. (4) A beekeeper shall comply with any instruction, order or notice issued by the executive officer for the purposes of the control of any notifiable disease or Capensis-infected colony. (5) The executive officer may, for the purposes of the control of any notifiable disease or Capensis-infected colony, instruct a beekeeper to destroy a colony, beehive or bee product. Prohibition of removal of Capensis-infected colonies 6. (1) No person may (a) remove honey-bees across the line; 8 No. 37015 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 15 NOVEMBER 2013 This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za (b) remove or keep Cape bees north of the line; (c) remove any Capensis-infected colony, without the prior written approval of executive officer. (2) a Capensis-infected colony may only be removed if it is to be (a) destroyed; or (b) kept in isolation from other honey-bee colonies at a predetermined site. Destruction of Capensis-infected colonies 7. (1) If a beekeeper is unable to implement management measures to eliminate Capensis worker bees from a Capensis-infected colony, the colony shall be destroyed. (2) The executive officer shall order the destruction of a Capensis-infected colony (a) which is kept in an unmarked beehive; or (b) where management measures to eliminate the presence of Capensis worker bees have not been implemented. Prohibition of movement of infected honey-bee colonies 8. (1) Subject to control measure 8 (2), no person shall move (a) a colony infected with a notifiable disease and Capensis infected colony. (2) A colony contemplated in control measure 8 (1) may only be removed if (a) it is to be destroyed; (b) kept in isolation from other honey-bee colonies at a predetermined site; or (c) the executive officer gives written approval. Destruction of infected honey-bee colonies 9. (1) A honey-bee colony shall be destroyed if (a) a beekeeper is unable to implement management measures in cases where clinical symptoms of a notifiable disease have been detected; or STAATSKOERANT, 15 NOVEMBER 2013 No. 37015 9 305319—B This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za (b) appropriate management measures have been ineffective in preventing the remission of a notifiable disease. (2) The executive officer shall order the destruction of any honey-bee colony infected with a notifiable disease (a) which is kept in an unmarked beehive; or (b) where a beekeeper has (i) not implemented; or (ii) not successfully implemented, management measures to eliminate the notifiable disease. Exemption from control measures 10. (1)A scientific research institution involved in apicultural research may in writing apply to the executive officer to be exempted from any prohibition or obligation contained in the control measures. (2) Before an exemption may be granted, the executive officer shall evaluate and approve the scientific research institution involved in apicultural research and conduct a risk assessment. (3) An application for exemption shall be accompanied by a fee payable in terms of the departmental tariff book. (4) An executive officer may by means of a permit exempt any person from a prohibition or obligation contained in the control measures. 10 No. 37015 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 15 NOVEMBER 2013 This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za ANNEXURE A LIST OF NOTIFIABLE DISEASES Bacterial Diseases Parasitic Mites Fungal Diseases Viral Diseases American Foul Brood (AFB) STAATSKOERANT, 15 NOVEMBER 2013 No. 37015 11 This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za ANNEXURE B AREAS Area Centre Gauteng Johannesburg Pretoria Limpopo Polokwane North West Rustenburg Mpumalanga Nelspruit Kwa-Zulu Natal Durban Free State Bloemfontein Northern Cape Kimberley Eastern Cape Port Elizabeth Western Cape Cape Town Southern Cape George 12 No. 37015 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 15 NOVEMBER 2013 This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za