Varroa Mite

In reply to the Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK ().16 October 2025).

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries): I am advised:

PIRSA do routinely inspect beehives entering South Australia. There is a permit system in place to allow beehives into South Australia under strict treatment conditions. The conditions for the allowance of entry of beehives for recent pollination events were determined in consultation with the South Australian Varroa Industry Advisory Committee (SAVIAC) who balanced the business-critical needs for the pollination dependant industries with the biosecurity risk to the state. A part of this included compliance checks of those beehives that entered.

For the recent influx of beehives from interstate apiarists to service South Australia's pollination dependant industries, a percentage of every interstate hive in SA under permit had their hives inspected by PIRSA inspectors.