Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2021 to Question 180582 on Bees: Imports, what steps his Department is taking to minimise the risk that exports from the affected region in southern Italy could enter Northern Ireland via the Republic of Ireland.

The region of Italy affected by Small hive beetle is not permitted to export honey bees, whether to EU member states or to the UK.

Imports which are permitted to enter the Republic of Ireland from other EU member states are subject to requirements involving advance notification and health certification to confirm that consignments are free of key pests and diseases including Small hive beetle.

Similar requirements apply to imports from any EU country including the Republic of Ireland into any part of the UK. We carry out checks on EU honey bee imports into the UK to ensure that consignments are compliant with the rules.