Beekeeping will receive state aid for the first time in 2024. Special Procurement Regime (REA) it equates itself with the rest of the livestock industry of the Islands. Serious Tenerife bushfire This situation not only caused an environmental disaster on the island, but also directly affected beekeeping production; Approximately 2,500 hives were burned and nearly 6,000 were affected by the loss of forest mass and flowers on which the bees feed. Because Ministry of Agriculture Makes a proposal to the central government European Commission It was stated that from February, supplementary feeding given to bees will receive the same level of assistance as feed and inputs for the rest of the animal herd.
However, this new scenario raised doubts. Beekeepers of Gran Canaria and other islands consider that, beyond the situation caused by fire, the importation of artificial food for the bees is encouraged, because foreign bees, which are not adapted to the climate of the islands, are introduced into Tenerife, while in Gran Canaria they are preferred. We are promoting the Canary black bee, which does not need artificial feed as much as imported ones.
Antonio Quesada, board member of the Gran Canaria Beekeepers Association (ApiGranca)He emphasizes that artificial feeding (he believes the use of the term bait is incorrect) is not essential when raising the Canary black bee, which is a native species and the only species living in the world. La Palma, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria, On the second island, since 2014, it is prohibited to import bees from other regions, which is also allowed. Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro. “Alien species are not accustomed to the Islands’ environment, so they need to be fed large amounts of sugary and protein foods, which are becoming increasingly expensive,” Quesada adds.
Beekeepers from Gran Canaria are aware that beekeepers from Tenerife, who are directly affected by the forest fire that has not yet been completely extinguished, are encouraged with special aid. However, they also remember that this is the first time that the Autonomous Community has established direct aid to the sector as a result of a natural disaster, as such a situation did not occur during the forest fires in Gran Canaria and La Palma in 2019. Volcanic eruption of beautiful island. Similarly, Quesada warns that although the REA is a regional aid, it will mainly benefit the island of Tenerife, as the rest of the islands will not purchase artificial feed in sufficient quantities to be able to claim compensation for the cost of transportation that the REA offers. European financing aimed at reducing the price of shopping carts on the islands.
For your part, Pablo Pestano, President of the Tenerife Beekeepers Association (Apiten), It ensures that beekeeping feed is “essential” to continue beekeeping activity, as drought and climate change cause environmental and seasonal changes that have a direct impact on bee colonies. “The bushfire has accelerated the demand for help to prevent the destruction of the sector, but the problem comes even earlier and affects all the islands, not just Tenerife,” warns Pestano.
Tenerife beekeepers advocate the introduction of foreign bees because they are more “productive”, as the Canary black bee is not yet sufficiently developed. But “The black bee is still a rough diamond, it needs to be polished; we must have bees that are productive, docile, disease resistant and adaptable to climate change,” argues Pestano, who believes he has developed a selection process that will improve the native species.