DPI Reports.pdf

The NSW Department of Primary Industries report highlights the department's activities and achievements over the past 12 months, including biosecurity, vocational education, compliance, and research. As of April 2021, there are 12,154 registered beekeepers and 360,691 registered hives in NSW. The department's staff includes experts in biosecurity, bacteriology, and apiculture, who work to promote biosecurity in the bee industry, conduct diagnostic tests, and provide technical advice. The report also notes that some commercial beekeepers have not taken up the Australian Honey Bee Industry Biosecurity Code of Practice, and have not complied with legal requirements such as exotic mite surveillance and record-keeping. The department's Bee Biosecurity Officer, Rod Bourke, has been promoting the Code and providing education and training to beekeepers, and notes that compliance with the Code is essential for the health and profitability of the bee industry.