This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
New beekeeping facility opened
22/11/2005
A purpose built facility at Inverness College will help to attract a new generation to one of Scotland's most traditional food businesses.
Beekeeping and honey production contributes around £200 million a year to the UK economy. A new apiary and educational facility at the Scottish School of Forestry will provide newcomers with the hands on experience needed to gain a recognised qualification.
Established beekeepers will be able to update their skills.
Opening the facility Deputy Rural Development Minister Rhona Brankin said:
"Scotland's international reputation for its produce is based on the quality of our environment. This is as true for honey as it is for our beef and seafood.
"Beekeeping has been in decline in recent years. Sustaining an industry which can contribute richly to the rural economy will depend on attracting a new generation of enthusiasts.
"Inverness College and the Scottish School of Forestry are to be congratulated on identifying a market opportunity in providing this course. I look forward to sampling the fruits of their students' labours in years to come."
The facility and apiary have been built with a £5,000 Big Lottery fund grant in the grounds of the Scottish School of Forestry, part of the Inverness College campus at Balloch.
The first Beekeeping for Beginners course will begin in January 2006 and is aimed at young people and students of the Scottish School of Forestry and will lead to students sitting the Scottish Beekeepers Association Basic Beemaster Certificate. The centre will be run by the Inverness-shire Beekeepers Association which currently has 70 members.
The beekeeping sector in Scotland makes an important contribution to the pollination of commercial crops, wild flowers and plants. The Scottish sector comprises of 4,000 beekeepers managing around 20,000 hives producing an estimated 1.2 million lbs of honey per season. Some 99 per cent of the beekeepers in Scotland operate on a small, non-commercial, basis with approximately 25 per cent being members of local groups affiliated to the Scottish Beekeepers Association.