12/15/2017
Dear Bee Friends - Need Your Help,
In the State of New Jersey we have enjoyed common sense beekeeping, guided by the NJ Beekeepers Association, giving us access to abundant local honey provided by dedicated hobbyists and small scale beekeepers across the State. This is in immediate danger of ending abruptly since a new proposal is currently up for public comment. If enacted, this will prevent most small beekeepers from continuing. Your comments against this proposal are due by January 19 if there is any hope of stopping this proposal as written. Without your support, this new proposal will go into effect without most people knowing this piece of legislation was ever underway.
This all began because in the northwest part of our State, there is one town with a beekeeper who annoyed his neighbors with his careless beekeeping practices. Rather than the town addressing their problem with this unruly resident, they seek to amend beekeeping legislation for the entire State. Enforcement of these new proposed regulations will fall to local municipalities, increasing their workload and expenses (your tax dollars).
The New Jersey Beekeepers Association wrote a proposal for the State to adopt, but it was ignored. The current proposed legislation was written without the participation of the New Jersey Beekeepers Association, and since the authors are not sufficiently informed on the subject, it contains many scientific errors and many poor assumptions.
The proposal is up for public comment now, and we need your support to end this piece of legislation. Each individual e-mail or letter counts as a vote against this proposal. To make your voice count, please e-mail your comments to [email protected] or mail your response to:
Joseph Zoltowski, Director
Division of Plant Industry
NJ Department of Agriculture
PO Box 330
Trenton, NJ 08625-0330
If you want to send your comments to other officials in addition, please do so, but only the e-mail and address listed above count in the official tally. All small beekeepers thank you for your support. I have provided my summary of the issues below, but if you want to read the entire document, here is the link to proposal number PRN 2017-216: http://www.nj.gov/agriculture/rule/PRN%202017-216%20(49%20NJR%203565(a)).pdf
Thank you for your support.
My summary of the key problems in this proposal as it affects most of Middlesex County:
•It singles out and targets specifically beekeepers in most residential areas, which includes most hobbyist and small beekeepers. The same rules do not apply to “qualified” commercial beekeepers. The underlying effect of this proposal is to eliminate beekeeping on most residential properties.
•It tells property owners that whether they own ¼ acre (typical suburban lot) or anything less than 5 acres, they can have only 2 hives on their property. There is no distinction between ¼ acre and up to 5 acres. A waiver can be applied for, but it is a complicated, bureaucratic process that can easily be dismissed and denied.
•On residential properties 5 acres or greater a small beekeeper may have up to 10 hives, but again, a waiver is required. Otherwise, only 2 hives are permitted.
•These same rules do not apply to commercial beekeepers, which makes it difficult, if not impossible, for up-and-coming beekeepers to grow to commercial status.
•Beehives are absolutely banned on less than ¼ acre. This will put all rooftop beekeepers, commonly found in our more urban areas, out of business.Small local beekeepers are largely responsible for the comeback of a healthy honeybee population in our State, one of the reasons New Jersey adopted the honey bee as the State insect. Now they seek to put them out of business.
Sincerely,
Pat Evans
