Farming Today

[Pete L]

The truth is that the British climate is not one where people can expect to make a living from a seasonal activity like beekeeping

Don't know about others, but i have managed to make a living from beekeeping for a lot of years now, and employ others, and i rear my own queens... and have never received any kind of financial help, like grants or subsidy.

[The Drone Ranger]

Don't know about others, but i have managed to make a living from beekeeping for a lot of years now, and employ others, and i rear my own queens... and have never received any kind of financial help, like grants or subsidy.

You have my great respect pete for suceeding against the odds
I like pure bred chickens (not enough to buy many though)
There are one or two people make a living from breeding those and selling hatching eggs etc.
I honestly don't know how they do it.
I think they usually have a "proper job" as well
Contrast that with the guy who fixed my patio door -- he turned up, lifted the door out fitted two roller things, drunk tea and got £250
No wonder I cant afford a bee suit and sadly won't be contributing to Mr Mc or anyone elses coffers without a bit of screaming

[drumgerry]

Don't get me wrong. I believe in funding! I believe that businesses/charities/individuals should get help for things which benefit the greater good and even make them some profit into the bargain. There's nothing wrong with that. And if bee farmers are doing things which society gets a benefit from then they should get help if they need it. But as far as I can see they or most of them are not. If they were to put subsidy money not into importing replacement stocks/queens but into a long term sustainable future for themselves and for Scotland's bees I'd think better of them. But no what the country really needs is an endless supply of cheap OSR honey - NOT!

[The Drone Ranger]

Hi Drumgerry
Is there a case for alpacca subsidy, I would be more well disposed to them because they are fluffy, put some goodness back in the ground, and reduce the environmental impact of lawn mowers.
They are apparently excellent shepherds and don't attract as many flies as cows
Plus Einstien also said that once the Alpacca goes we follow 5 years afterwards ...or was that bees... or neither

[drumgerry]

There's sweet fanny adams for us alpaca types I'm afraid. They are good at decreasing fox predation on lambs although personally I'd want a llama (those dudes can be scary). Sorry but you're wrong on the fly front. Great billowing clouds of the little sods hang around especially if it's a wet summer (when the only company the flies have are AMM queens and drones out mating!!).

If the alpaca goes I think it's the three toed sloth that follows shortly afterwards - according to Einstein anyway!