President’s Report

BY JEREMY OLTHOF

The honey flow is here, and time is limited, as will be this report.

The board briefly met this month to discuss the possibility of requesting Agri-Recovery to be triggered. The decision was made to move forward along with Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec in requesting this from our provincial governments. Our decision was accompanied by a very clear message that this is a last resort and that the federal government and Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) had clearly failed the industry by not enabling enough stock replacement options this spring. Over the next month the board will work on collaborating with our provincial counterparts to determine a similar “ask” from the Agri-recovery program.

Canadian Honey Council (CHC) director Ron Greidanus continues to actively work with the CHC at the local and national level to pressure government and CFIA to ensure Alberta beekeepers have access to safe, healthy, reliable, and cost-effective stock replacement options.

Thank you to everyone who made it out to the Southern Alberta Beekeepers (SAB) meeting in Lethbridge in June, and a big thank you to Dr. Shelley Hoover and David Hill at the University of Lethbridge, TTP team, and the great international and local speakers who helped to make this event a valuable learning experience.

There are a number of other industry events coming up over the next few months including Open Farm Days on August 13 & 14, and the Annual ABC Conference and Trade Show on December 1 & 2, 2022. You can find out more information about these events on page 16 and 17.

Amanda and I recently attended the International Agriculture & Agri-Food Showcase that was held in Calgary as part of Calgary Stampede. This event provided a valuable opportunity to connect with local government officials and industry groups and share our industry priorities and learn about potential opportunities that may benefit our industry. I would like to take this opportunity to formally welcome Dustin Ryan from Fallentimber Meadery who has now been officially appointed as ABC Director representing the southern region. Dustin brings a great range of experience and expertise to the Commission and we're pleased to welcome him on-board.

I hope everyone is pulling full boxes and we will end up with a decent crop despite the forecasted drop in hive numbers and unfortunately the inevitable drop in Eligible Producers through these tough times.

Jeremy Olthof