NSW Nationals Member for Clarence Richie Williamson has joined local honey producers and commercial beekeepers in calling for urgent action to combat the growing Varroa mite outbreak, warning it is becoming a national food security issue.
Mr Williamson said Varroa mite is one of the most serious biosecurity threats facing Australian agriculture.
“If we fail to get on top of it, the consequences will extend well beyond beekeepers – they will be felt throughout our agricultural sector and ultimately at the supermarket checkout.”
Mr Williamson said honeybees are essential to the pollination of many fruit, vegetable, nut, and seed crops, making the health of the beekeeping industry critical to Australia’s food production.
Min Fuller from Bee Services said commercial beekeepers across northern New South Wales and south-east Queensland were already experiencing the devastating impacts of resistant Varroa.
“This is no longer a future threat – it’s happening now,” Ms Fuller said.
“Commercial beekeepers are losing colonies despite doing everything they’ve been told to do. The cost of treatments, the labour required to manage resistant Varroa, and the loss of honey and pollination income are pushing many businesses to breaking point.”
Mr Williamson said he had written to NSW Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty calling for greater support for the industry, including urgent advocacy with the Federal Government to allow commercial beekeepers to self-administer proven organic treatments such as formic acid.
“The feedback from beekeepers is clear – they need practical, affordable treatment options, financial support and timely action, not delays and uncertainty,” he said.
Ms Fuller said grants to help meet treatment costs, low-interest recovery loans and practical assistance were urgently needed.
“Without immediate support, more commercial beekeepers will leave the industry, reducing Australia’s pollination capacity and putting our food security at risk,” she said.
The NSW Nationals have committed $300 million over five years to strengthen the state’s biosecurity response if elected in 2027.
“Our beekeepers are on the frontline of an industry that underpins billions of dollars in agricultural production,” Mr Williamson said.
“We cannot afford to treat Varroa mite as just another pest. It requires an urgent, coordinated response from both the NSW and Federal Governments.”
