Another bizarre beekeeping rule ?

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StephenB

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Is this another bizarre set of bee keeping rules or the greatest idea since sliced bread ?
 

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  • Bee Welfare Code of Practice - Draft.pdf
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Anything I say against this idea will get me labelled as a cruel heartless beekeeper who doesn't care about his bees and their happiness.
The whole thing is well-intentioned and that is only good point.
This sort of document is so open to interpretation it's not funny. I could for instance put a very good case under this for banning formic acid treatment and I'm sure Peta or safe could come up with dozens of interpretations that would make beekeeping as we know it impractical and unviable.
I believe there is nothing in this document that I don't already try and do. I also know that I have unintentionally broken every rule that they have their at least once in the last 50 years and often many times.
To open to interpretation, not enforceable, not practical.
 
349
449
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Is this another bizarre set of bee keeping rules or the greatest idea since sliced bread ?
The word rule not mentioned once in the entire document Steve, go learn your English again.
Just a list/guide of things that I'm sure you all be thinking about as you look after your hives, because the people who are buying our bee products are more and more thinking about how the food or the animals etc are being kept/prepared/raised.
The world is more and more asking about animal welfare in the farming environment, and this document is the start of that conversation around bees, its not exhaustive but isn't meant to be an encyclopedia either.
This sort of document is so open to interpretation it's not funny. I could for instance put a very good case under this for banning formic acid treatment and I'm sure Peta or safe could come up with dozens of interpretations that would make beekeeping as we know it impractical and unviable
Its not a "how to" or "set of rules" document John, its a guide about the general principals around keeping bees in as good a condition with all their needs as you can, as you said you already do most of these things anyway.
I'm sure we can find fault with any code of practice.
There is also the push from the Minister to have bees come under the animal welfare act, this is also showing the minister that we beekeepers can do these things ourselves without being burden by far more legislative act.
 
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No question. Just ruminating about the fact that sandfly, blowfly lives etc we snuff out at our leisure, yet because we like bees their lives are somehow sancrosanct....
Its not that we just like bees, its because we "farm" bees, we want the world to buy our bee procucts, we complain about pesticides, lack of pollen sources, over crowding, hives stolen, hives dying, best honey in the world, etc etc.
So the world, and by that I mean consumers, as they move more to caring about where their food comes from and how it is produced and beekeeping is seen as intensive farming, a welfare code is just another opportunity to show that even though we do all the things above, we care about our livestock and think about their existence/welfare.
It may be only a box ticking exercise, but look at eggs and pig industry, if you think the pressure wont come to the beekeeping industry like those, you'd be mistaken, but at this stage we have he consumers on our side as everyone likes bees, but we cant take it for granted so this is being a little proactive in addressing some of those concerns.
 

Alastair

Founder Member
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I agree with it.

I already do pretty much all of it, and like to think my bees are happy.

And yes, just because we cannot read their facial expressions does not mean bees do not feel fear, pain, happiness. Having watched bees for many years I think they are not just instinct driven but also have a measure of intelligence, and an ability to think and solve problems.
 

StephenB

Banned
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New Zealand
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Commercial
Its not that we just like bees, its because we "farm" bees, we want the world to buy our bee procucts, we complain about pesticides, lack of pollen sources, over crowding, hives stolen, hives dying, best honey in the world, etc etc.
So the world, and by that I mean consumers, as they move more to caring about where their food comes from and how it is produced and beekeeping is seen as intensive farming, a welfare code is just another opportunity to show that even though we do all the things above, we care about our livestock and think about their existence/welfare.
It may be only a box ticking exercise, but look at eggs and pig industry, if you think the pressure wont come to the beekeeping industry like those, you'd be mistaken, but at this stage we have he consumers on our side as everyone likes bees, but we cant take it for granted so this is being a little proactive in addressing some of those concerns.
The pig industry is stuffed because of the feel good rules. The pork farmers can not compete with the oversea markets which dont have the same rules. Many industries are in the same boat stuffed because of the feel good factor rules.
Good play ApiNZ yeah right
 
349
449
Bay of Plenty
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Really Dennis
Why do you always have to lower the discussion down to personal attacks.?
Really Steven, its in the title to your post, you only used that to to take the ####, when you know this ain't no set of rules.
I get, we all get it, you not a member of APINZ and you have a dislike for any thing APINZ, well build a bridge and get over it.
But if you want a discussion happy to have one, but don't be a tabloid clickbait poster.
 
349
449
Bay of Plenty
Experience
Commercial
The pig industry is stuffed because of the feel good rules. The pork farmers can not compete with the oversea markets which dont have the same rules. Many industries are in the same boat stuffed because of the feel good factor rules.
Good play ApiNZ yeah right
So we should go be like overseas and give no care to the welfare of any of our farming industries, yeah right Steve.
So Kiwi pig growers can only be successful by being crap no animal welfare concern farmers, I think you missing the point a bit here.
 

StephenB

Banned
199
85
New Zealand
Experience
Commercial
So we should go be like overseas and give no care to the welfare of any of our farming industries, yeah right Steve.
So Kiwi pig growers can only be successful by being crap no animal welfare concern farmers, I think you missing the point a bit here.
Dennis
Just passing on what the pork industry is saying and many others report what happens when feel good guidelines are put in place

Would you like me to put some links in to articles that explain what is happening
 
5,764
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canterbury
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I was reading the "Bizarre beekeeping rule" conversation, and then it was closed down ...... and I had a thought,,,,,, what a load of Schist.
Point one ..... bees are insects , which is a a subspecies of animal ..... bugs that get sprayed and swated and squashed but regenarate in 21 days and certainly don't hop into my bed at 5.30 am and give me a slobbery kiss.

Me thinks APINZ is taking the mickey ...... a bit like my neighbour who threw the lodger out when he walked on the grass and made it scream.
Either that, or APINZ is run by people who have absolutely no idea how the real world functions.

No offense to Dennis ....
 
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