Question & AnswerQ&A (DEPARTMENT ORDER NO. 02, S. 2018)
It provides guidelines on the importation of queen and escort bees to ensure they are free from maladies of quarantine significance and comply with Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures.
The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) is the competent authority mandated to supervise the implementation of the SPS measures related to the importation of queen bees.
They must provide name, address and description of the apiary; letter of intent to the BAI Director; Mayor's Business Permit; DTI or SEC Registration if applicable; and BIR-TIN.
The importer must obtain a Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearance (SPSIC) from the BAI and a veterinary health certificate issued by the Government Veterinary Authority of the exporting country.
Only BAI-accredited commercial beekeepers and hobbyists who have met the registration and accreditation requirements can import queen and escort bees.
Only Apis mellifera queen and escort bees are allowed to be imported.
They must be free from mites such as Acarapis spp., Varroa spp., Tropilaelaps spp., small hive beetles (Aethina tumida), and pathogens causing American foul brood, European foul brood, chalk brood, Nosema, and sacbrood.
The shipment is subject to confiscation and destruction at the expense of the importer.
Imported bees must be turned over to the competent authority at the port for sampling and inspection; presentation of SPSIC and required certificates; and escort bees and queen cages will be collected for laboratory analysis.
The importer's SPSIC shall be automatically revoked after notice and hearing, and importations without or with revoked SPSIC shall be confiscated and destroyed.
No, importation of brood combs, nucleus colonies, and packaged bees is not allowed.
The designated port of entry is Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), unless other airports qualify in the future.
A Phytosanitary Certificate certifying that the shipment is free from pollen-carrying plant pathogens and Tobacco Ringspot Virus (TRSV) must accompany the shipment.
Samples of escort bees are analyzed; the importer agrees to BAI quarantine terms; monitoring teams evaluate queen bee performance one week after dispersal; and if pathogens are detected, bees will be destroyed at the importer's expense.
All existing administrative orders, rules, and regulations inconsistent with this Order are repealed or modified accordingly.