AIREDALE Beekeepers Association is backing national efforts to close a loophole in import regulations which campaigners fear could be devastating for bee colonies. And it is urging members of the public to also show their support, by signing an online petition – at petition.parliament.uk/petitions/577603. If it gains 100,000 signatures, the issue will be debated in parliament. Campaigners say that a rigorous border inspection regime prior to Brexit prevented a devastating pest known as the small hive beetle arriving in the UK in packages of bees from southern Italy, where it is endemic. But whilst the packages cannot currently be imported into Great Britain, they are still allowed to be brought into Northern Ireland – from where they can be transferred to the UK mainland without restriction.
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