SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 27th May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Leading the Island Beekeeping Committee on Monday, Valentín González, the Councillor of the Primary Sector at the Cabildo of Tenerife, announced a financial aid package amounting to 900,000 euros for beekeepers.
“These measures have been taken to safeguard this livestock subsector, which was severely impacted by the consequences of last summer’s fire in Tenerife. A significant number of hives were affected during the usual honey production season while transhumance was taking place from El Teide in search of summit honey – primarily broom honey from El Teide and Malpica, as well as chestnut honey,” highlighted a statement.
Participating organisations in the Insular Beekeeping Roundtable included APITEN, ADS Abecan, APITEIDE, Apícola Canaria, FOAPI, and Norte Tenerife.
González pointed out that “the fire swept through the midlands and high-altitude regions of the island, damaging around 3,500 hives and destroying a significant part of the bees’ natural habitat.”
Alongside this situation, he added, “we must consider the effects of the ongoing drought, which necessitates governmental intervention to provide necessary resources to support beekeepers in sustaining their operations.”
The Primary Sector department will allocate a financial aid line of 150,000 euros for bee feeding, in addition to launching a resilience grant aimed at the fire-affected beekeeping sector. This grant, totalling 800,000 euros, aims to “compensate farmers for the production losses incurred due to the 2023 fire and the impact of the drought.”
Valentín González emphasized that every effort will be made to mitigate “the implications of fire and drought on this vital livestock subsector, crucial for the island’s biodiversity sustainability and preservation.”
