Argentine Beekeepers' Magazine

(Espacio Apícola, October 13th, 2022) Signed by the President of the Republic, Gabriel Boric Font, and his Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela van Treek, Chile has enacted Law No. 21,489 on "Protection and Promotion of Beekeeping". It is the first normative body of the activity in the brother country. The rule entered into force yesterday, after its publication in the Official Gazette of Chile.

It is noteworthy that despite the great experience on pollination of different crops the norm is limited only to the activity carried out by beekeepers who cultivate Apis mellifera.

Among the values that govern it, the importance of sustainability, participation, beekeeping health and welfare, gradualness in the application of standards and the promotion of activity stand out. In turn, the importance of preserving the food safety of bee products and the Strategic Productive Factor of beekeeping in sustaining the forestry and agricultural sector and ecosystem balance is highlighted.

The Law creates the National Registry of Beekeepers and that of wax foundation makers. Both registries will be the object of the immediate regulation of the norm that has a term of one year from its promulgation. The same regulation will also regulate honeybee health aspects, pesticides use in agriculture, transhumance and the labeling of beekeeping products.

Title VII of the law mentions the organic production of beekeeping products and title VIII focuses on the coordination of the different incentives with a Strategic Plan for Beekeeping Development that will be reviewed every three years.

Title IX on the evaluation of the same law, supervision and sanctions; X introduces the theme of urban beekeeping; and Title XI formal aspects.

The promulgation of the law was highly anticipated by stakeholders and had been widely treated and discussed. The protagonists of the sector will have to work hardly regulating this comprehensive law, especially considering that some of them are committed on the organization of the next International Congress of Apimondia that will be held in Santiago de Chile between September 4 and 8th, 2023, just one month before the deadline of this regulation to be ready. Access the full text of the new law here.