Beekeeper Told 15 Million Bees Could be Burned Due to Brexit

A beekeeper trying to bring 15 million bees into the UK says he has been told they may be seized and burned because of Brexit.

“It’s a monumentally stupid situation for a country supposed to be standing on its own two feet and exporting round the world.”

Patrick Murfet wants to import the baby Italian #bees for his Kent business and to help farmers #pollinate valuable crops.

But new laws that came into effect after the UK left the single market mean that bringing bees into the country is banned.

He is managing director of Bee Equipment, based near Canterbury, and every year he imports large numbers of bees from breeders in Italy, where the climate is warmer.

For decades, bees have been imported to replenish stocks, strengthen breeding lines and as early-awakening #pollinators for fruit and honey farms in the UK.

But the limits Brexit has imposed on the UK could put this in jeopardy, Murfet said.

Full story at The New European