CEO Report September 2026

The last two months have seen AHBIC taking the pressures facing beekeepers directly to government, while continuing the practical work on treatment access, pollination and the Australian Colony Loss Survey. As spring gets underway, the cost of keeping colonies healthy and getting them ready for the next job remains front and centre. These are the issues we are bringing to every discussion about the future of our industry.

Taking our case to Canberra

A highlight this month was meeting with the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins, and the Shadow Minister, Darren Chester, at Parliament House on 7 September. These meetings were an opportunity to put the realities facing beekeeping businesses directly before both sides of politics and seek a coordinated national response.

Our message was straightforward. Beekeepers are carrying substantial additional treatment and labour costs, managing colony losses and trying to maintain the strong hives that Australian agriculture relies on. The consequences extend well beyond honey production. When a beekeeping business loses capacity or leaves the industry, the growers who depend on its pollination services are also exposed.

We took practical requests to Canberra: targeted, time-limited assistance with Varroa treatment costs; stronger action on imported-honey authenticity and the assessment of Deformed Wing Virus risks; and clear responsibility within the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for progressing the national roundtable actions. Access to effective and affordable treatments remains central to that discussion.

With Darren Chester, I also stressed the need for bipartisan support. Beekeepers need governments to work together on solutions that can be delivered, with clear responsibilities and timeframes. Following the meeting, I provided his office with a further briefing on the pressures facing the industry and the implications for pollination and food production.

Getting these issues in front of the Minister and her shadow counterpart matters, but the measure of success will be what changes for beekeepers. We will continue pressing for practical support and keep members informed as those discussions progress.

Following through on the roundtable

The Decision Makers Forum on 28 July considered the 11 priority actions developed through the national honey bee industry roundtable process. Industry and research partners committed to progressing work, including treatment coordination and better information on pollination supply and demand. Disappointingly, governments did not bring forward the additional commitments we had sought to match the scale of the problem. 

The work has continued through discussions with state associations, governments, research partners and pollination-dependent industries. The roundtable has given us a common set of practical requests to take into those discussions, including the Canberra meetings. Our focus is on turning that shared position into help that reaches beekeeping businesses. 

Varroa treatment access

Treatment cost, availability and performance continue to take up a significant part of our work. AHBIC has remained engaged on permits, registrations and access to chemicals, including discussions in September. We are pressing for workable regulatory pathways and clearer coordination so beekeepers have a wider range of suitable options. 

We are also taking the industry’s research needs back to AgriFutures. Beekeepers need evidence about how treatments perform under Australian conditions, what different management approaches cost, and how to interpret resistance testing alongside what is happening in their hives. Research needs to lead to guidance that can be used in a commercial operation. These priorities formed part of the update we have prepared for the Honey Bee and Pollination Advisory Panel. 

Pollination and honey market integrity

The almond season has brought further concerns about the availability of suitable colonies and how hive strength is assessed. AHBIC has taken up concerns about hive audits and continued discussions with the crop industries that rely on managed pollination. Growers need confidence in the service they are buying, and beekeepers need clear, fair and consistent expectations. 

We still do not have a complete national picture of pollination supply or colony losses. Reports from individual businesses are valuable, but they cannot tell us the size of the problem across the country. Better information will help us explain the pressures on pollination businesses and make a stronger case for investment and support. 

Imported honey remains another priority. We met with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in August on honey authenticity and have continued pursuing the biosecurity questions around Deformed Wing Virus in imported honey. These are separate but equally important issues: Australian beekeepers should be able to compete in a market where honey is what it claims to be, and import conditions need to properly consider risks to our bees. 

Australian Colony Loss Survey 

Bianca has been leading the detailed work to get the Australian Colony Loss Survey ready, working with Pike Stahlmann-Brown on the questionnaire and programming, and Cooper Schouten at Southern Cross University on the ethics process. The survey has progressed through design and testing, with further information now being provided for ethics review. It will open once the necessary approval and participant information are in place. 

This is an important piece of work for the industry. We need a more consistent picture of colony losses and management practices so that our discussions with governments and researchers are backed by better evidence. When the survey opens, I encourage beekeepers to make time to contribute, whether your losses have been high, low or somewhere in between. A broad response will make the results more useful. Join the mailing list here: COLOSS

The wider industry work

Alongside the immediate Varroa pressures, work continues on levy reform, including the ballot arrangements and communications needed to explain the proposal to beekeepers. There is still preparation to complete before the industry is asked to vote. It is important that people understand what is proposed and have a fair opportunity to have their say. Take a deep dive on levy information on our dedicated industry levy page.

We have also continued contributing to the review of the Emergency Plant Pest Response Deed, the national agreement that sets out how plant pest emergencies are managed and funded. The experience of Varroa needs to inform how future responses work for our industry. Workforce discussions and our submission on the classification of beekeeping occupations are another part of this less visible work, aimed at ensuring the skills and needs of beekeeping are properly recognised. 

The Month Ahead

Over the coming month, our priorities will be following up the Canberra discussions, progressing treatment access and the roundtable actions, and getting the colony loss survey ready to open. We will also continue the levy reform preparations and discussions with research partners about the work that will make the greatest practical difference to beekeepers. 

Thank you to the state associations, our Executive and the many beekeepers who continue to share their experiences with Bianca and I. That information helps us keep the national work grounded in what is happening in the paddock. I hope spring provides some welcome opportunities, your bees build well, and you travel safely through the busy months ahead. Please keep looking out for each other.

Danny LeFeurve

CEO