NSW inches towards “varroa mite free” status

New South Wales is on track to be the first jurisdiction in the world to defeat the deadly bee parasite varroa mite.

New South Wales is on track to be the first jurisdiction in the world to defeat the deadly bee parasite varroa mite.

All Australian states and territories unanimously agreed on Friday to recognise the state as varroa mite free, aside from a number of “surveillance zones” spanning a 25km radius around known infection sites.

Beekeepers examine hives and take bee samples for testing, near Paterson, on the NSW Central Coast in July. TWAM/Nick Cubbin

Acting chief plant health officer Stephen Dibley said the national decision was made following extensive surveillance that gave authorities 99.99 per cent confidence the mite was not present in “blue zones”, which are further than 25km from an infected hive.

NSW Agriculture Minister Dugald Saunders said the agreement was a significant step in the fight to eradicate the pest, which has become endemic across the rest of the world.

All states are expected to open their borders in coming weeks to beekeepers and hives for pollination.

“This is a significant step in the fight to eradicate the mite, and for our beekeepers and pollination-reliant industries that have done it tough over the past seven months”, Mr Saunders said.

“I want to thank them, because it is their diligence in reporting and testing their hives as well as DPI’s strong surveillance that has put us in the position we are in today.”

NSW is working with Victoria, South Australia and Queensland to map out the rules for interstate movement.

As of Monday, beekeepers with Victorian registered hives can apply for a permit to move hives from NSW to Victoria.

Only Victorian registered hives in the blue zone that can demonstrate compliance with testing and traceability requirements will be allowed to move.

All movement requests will be subjected to strict permit conditions and active compliance checks.

Australian Honeybee Industry Council chief executive Danny Le Feuvre said while the industry would continue to be affected by the incursion – first detected in Newcastle in June – it was a “major milestone”.

“It gives us great confidence that eradication is achievable in the current situation,” he said.

The operation to rid the state of the bee pest came at a cost of $64 million for the first 100 days, with costs continuing to climb as it drags on at the expense of every horticultural industry affected by the discovery.

Some within the bee keeping industry have cast doubt on NSW’s ability to eradicate the pest entirely given the difficulty in assessing feral hives.

But no country is yet to achieve this level of success following a discovery of varroa mite.

Australia is the last continent to be free of the pest, but that claim remains under a cloud until NSW declares full eradication.