That's fine.
I believe the monsters of the past have been put to bed and that we should move forward with science-based decisions and not more scare tactics.
There are people who believe that beekeepers should build a new industry to supply our own replacement stock. We've had over 30 years to accomplish this. The border closed in 1987, and that hasn't come about. I believe it is time to quit subsidizing this endeavour. This is a non-tariff trade barrier.
How is the commercial beekeeper suffering 80% winter loss ever going to rebuild? The financial costs are staggering. We have a contractor involved with us who this spring has lost 80% of his hives. He is buying 6,000 packages at about $300 apiece. He had to sell property to be able to get the $1.8 million to replace those hives. That's his equity. That's his retirement fund. He doesn't have a pension. He owns a bee business. Why is the growth of the wild blueberry industry in eastern Canada being held back by an unsustainable dream?
I formally request that this committee properly fund a science-based review of importing honeybee packages from northern California into Canada to fill the need for reasonably priced replacement colonies and to provide enough pollinator units to cover our growing pollination needs in eastern Canada.
Thank you very much. I am open for questions.
I apologize for the paper.