Carla Lockhart MP Hits Out at Minister Muir Over Collapse of Bee Inspection System
DUP Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Spokesperson Carla Lockhart MP has hit out at DAERA Minister Andrew Muir following confirmation that Northern Ireland currently has no dedicated bee inspectors in place and that all bee health issues are now being routed through a single shared email inbox. In responses to the Upper Bann MP, the Minister admits there is no one solely responsible for bee inspections within the Department, a move Ms Lockhart has labelled “complacent, careless and completely inadequate.”
Commenting she said;
“This is a dereliction of duty and demonstrates a lack of understanding of the importance of a healthy bee population. The beekeeping community has been raising alarm bells for months, and I’ve personally challenged the Minister on this issue several times. His own letters to me confirm there are currently no dedicated bee inspectors in post with all inspections, if they happen at all, falling under a small number of general Agriculture Inspectors. And now, even contact with the Department has been reduced to a generic email address. That is not a strategy.
The bee inspection service has collapsed, and there’s no clear plan or timeline to fix it. In the face of serious threats to bee health like foulbrood, this isn’t just careless it’s dangerous.
Bees are amazing creatures. They are essential pollinators, vital to our food supply and ecosystems. Without them, biodiversity suffers, crop yields fall, and the wider agricultural sector is put at risk. To see such a vital part of our natural and farming environment treated as an afterthought is frankly disgraceful.
Beekeepers deserve better. Our farming sector deserves better. And our environment demands better. I will continue pressing the Minister until we see meaningful action, proper accountability, and a full restoration of inspection services.”
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