Complex subject. Trust me, I have sat in on the meetings right up to the top level and had input (ignored btw). This one can cure all known forms of insomnia.
The UK takes its full entitlement under EU provisions, which is to assist in 'the production and marketing of honey and apicultural products'. Taken in the whole EU (bar the UK and possibly Ireland) to mean supporting the units who produce sufficient honey to actually make it out onto the open market. Normally the professional sector. In some countries you cannot apply, either as an individual, or co-operative, or association, unless collectively you have 150 colonies.
It is available under 6 headings, but the UK takes all of its help under only 2 of them.
In several countries you can apply for grants for beekeeping projects, which have a minimum scale to them, including such things as expensive varroa measures and migratory equipment (rationalisation of transhumance). The measures are specifically for those attempting to make some kind of living, and thus to reduce dependance on imports.
Several things are specifically excluded, and control of brood diseases is one of them, as these are statutory NATIONAL responsibilities, and the EU money is NOT allowed to be used as substitute funding for pre-existing national programmes.
Varroa control IS allowed.
In the UK ALL the money is taken in by the government, which goes right back to the 1980's, when the government of the day said that 'they did not consider the UK a country with a professional beekeeping sector and that they did not fund peoples hobbies'. If true fair enough, if I build and fly model planes I would not expect the government to pay part of the cost.
So, in the UK all the money is taken in hand and is used to fund the inspectors and the NBU, a measure of primary benefit to the amateur sector.
Call me suspicious if you like, but every time we have seen the inspectors they are mentioning ( quite unnecessarily) varroa and varroa control, whilst actually quite plainly doing a foulbrood inspection. Due to the EU provisions I wonder if it all gets written down as a varroa measure???
In discussions last year it was made quite plain that the government will NEVER relinquish its grip on the EU money, and that any kind of direct assistance to the beekeeping sector is a non starter, FROM THAT POT. ( From which you can correctly deduce we were being gently directed to look towards other pots, such as rural development.)
It was openly said that to use the money to support the professional sector would cost a large proportion of the inspectors and possibly close the NBU. Not a path anyone would want to go down was the assumption stated at the meeting from the powers that be. Right?
Suffice to say the opinion at the meeting was not quite as plain as they had thought.
Grants to make advances in your units OR maintain the NBU and inspectorate with little direct benefit? Expletive free anwers on a postcard please.
As an outfit who is probably something like 220K down financially since direct support was removed some 30 years ago, most of which has gone to the NBU, I am probably not the guy to ask. I honestly cannot say what the NBU (or SAC unit) has done over that period of benefit to MY business, making it a very expensive intangible. ( As it may be confidential maybe better not put here the charge for colony inspections passed on to the EU...........but its three figures for every hive roof the inspectors lift. Details in the UK's submission documents for participation in the apiculture programme.)
Personally I would LOVE a grant to fund putting boom loaders on all our trucks. I am well aware that heavy hand loading creates a physical work barrier which discriminates disproportionately against women, and our experience has them as at least as good beekeepers as men. I can get such a grant in France, but no chance in the UK. Not fair.
In general I am not in favour of grants at all, no-one should get them for these things. However, we are heavily cost loaded BY the very bodies denying us the grants, and some of our competitors get them. Level playing field please, and stop cost loading us with such things as the governmant generated costs in varroa treatments if not prepared to support us in compensatory ways.
