The tension arose after NZ Beekeeping sought changes to a shift in levy payments on the American foulbrood levy, which, the group said, would result in members having to pay annual levies twice.
The payment is made to eliminate American foulbrood from NZ beehives, something not achieved elsewhere in the world but viewed as possible because of the ability to control imports possibly infected colonies.
The levy is managed by Apiculture NZ.
Beekeepers have been paying $15 an apiary a year, which was to change to a per-hive payment with a shift from advance to arrears payments.
But NZ Beekeeping president Jane Lorimer said an error in invoicing meant beekeepers were being charged twice in one year and also being asked to pay a full levy rather than only the difference between the two.
“We wanted to put that right and instead we kept getting duck-shoved and it was not until we employed our barrister that we made any progress.”
Some members had been threatened with legal action for non-payment.
Lorimer said it was disappointing Apiculture NZ claimed there was no problem even after NZ Beekeeping had threatened to seek a High Court order.
“We had offered to work with them to get the error fixed quickly and quietly and were rebuffed.”
She said it was only by working with Primary Industries Ministry officials that beekeepers’ interests had been served.
Kos said the change in invoicing was the result of some confusion around the technical definition of the levy billing and Apiculture NZ had raised that with MPI, which had looked at it and recognised it could be changed.
“The key issue right through this is that there is no change to the levy, the payment is still the same, there was never any risk of double payment. It was obviously a significant issue for NZ Beekeeping and we raised it.”
The stoush highlights a level of tension between the two organisations over funding and levy allocation stemming back to early last year when NZ Beekeeping openly opposed Apiculture NZ’s efforts to impose a commodity levy on honey production.
That was defeated resoundingly when only 24% of beekeepers voted for the levy’s introduction, a move described as disappointing by Apiculture NZ’s chairman Bruce Willis.
Lorimer had expressed concern before the vote that Apiculture NZ was not the right group to administer levy income and it amounted to a tax at a time when honey income was falling.
Kos said a better way for NZ Beekeeping to address issues over the foulbrood levy was to nominate a candidate on the pest management board to help oversee the levy process.
