Funding applications for the Provincial Honey Bee Program are now available for eligible beekeepers.
In partnership with the Newfoundland and Labrador Beekeeping Association, the Provincial Government announced $300,000 for training and support for the beekeeping industry in June 2020. The initiative is part of a plan to support employment in rural communities, and help open new markets and products for renewable resource-based businesses during the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Program funding will allow eligible beekeepers to purchase local honeybees and apiary supplies, pest and disease monitoring tools, infrastructure to support overwintering of hives, and equipment to develop value-added and secondary processed food products, among other activities.
Applicants may apply for up to a maximum of $20,000 and must have a valid beekeeper registration number for the 2020 season and 10 or more colonies registered with the Provincial Apiarist for the 2020 beekeeping season.
For information on eligible and ineligible activities, please consult the Honey Bee Development Program Guide. To apply, please submit a Honey Bee Development Program Application via email to provincialapiarist@gov.nl.ca. Applications will be assessed on a first-come, first-served basis. The deadline to apply for funding is November 1, 2020.
Quotes
“Newfoundland and Labrador has a unique opportunity to grow its apiculture sector in an environment free of Varroa Mite, a pest known to decimate honeybee populations. The Provincial Honey Bee Development Program supports the potential to grow this industry and improve the sustainability of local honey bees, and we look forward to working with the Newfoundland and Labrador Beekeeping Association and our province’s beekeepers to help expand our promising apiculture industry.”
Honourable Elvis Loveless
Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture
“The Newfoundland and Labrador Beekeeping Association welcomes the opportunity to deliver education and training programs, provide support to the local beekeeping industry, and – most importantly – implement a comprehensive and world-class Varroa Action Plan to help ensure a healthy, local honey bee population for years to come.”
Rodney Reid,
President, Newfoundland and Labrador Beekeeping Association
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Learn more
News Release: Stay Sweet NL: Minister Byrne Introducing Legislation to Protect Honey Bees
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Media contacts
Linda Skinner
Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture
709-637-2284, 632-8167
lindaskinner@gov.nl.ca
Rodney Reid
Newfoundland and Labrador Beekeeping Association
president@nlbeekeeping.com