חוק להסדרה של הצבת כוורות, האבקה וייצור דבש, התשפ"ה–2025Law Regulation of Placement of Beehives, Pollination and Honey Production, 2025 · automatic translation · suggest a correction

Official summary of the law (Knesset)

The Law comprehensively and broadly regulates the placement of beehives, pollination, and honey production, taking into account the unique characteristics of the honey industry. The Law replaces the previous regulation in this field, which was anchored only in subordinate legislation, in the Supervision of Commodities and Services Order (Honey Production and Sale), 1977, and in the Regulations for the Improvement of Agricultural Production (Animals) (Bees), 1968 (hereinafter - the previous law). The Law determines that the regulatory powers that were held under the previous law by the Pollination and Honey Council, which is a public benefit company, will be transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. Accordingly, a permits committee will be established to operate within the Ministry, which will be authorized to determine placement points on public land where beehives may be placed, and which will also be authorized to grant permits to beekeepers for the placement of populated beehives at the placement points. The definition of "public land" in the Law includes Israel Lands and land of a local authority, except for a place used for residence and its adjoining yard. The permits committee will be composed of three members appointed by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security: two representatives of the Ministry, one of whom will serve as chairperson of the committee, and a public representative who is a senior academic staff member, as well as an observer (without voting rights) on behalf of the Pollination and Honey Council. In addition, if the Minister enacts regulations regarding conditions for recognizing an organization working to promote the interests of beekeepers as a representative organization, an additional observer will be appointed to the permits committee on behalf of the representative organization. Under the Law, in the first stage the permits committee will determine the placement points on public land, such that placement in certain types of public land, such as a nature reserve or a security area, will require approval from the authority competent to do so, and on public land held by a permit holder from the Israel Land Authority - after the holder has been given the right to be heard. In the second stage, the permits committee will grant permits for the placement of beehives at the conclusion of a permit-granting process that will be conducted, as a rule, once every three years, but in certain cases also less frequently, and it will publish a notice of the process on the Ministry's website. The validity of the permit will, as a rule, be for three years. Placement permits will be granted on the basis of previous permits, taking into account the need to grant permits to new applicants and the equal allocation of placement points, and taking into account the need to prevent, as far as possible, concentration in the holding of permits. Furthermore, provisions were established regarding the manner of submitting applications for permits, the restrictions on granting a permit, the conditions under which the committee may suspend, change, or cancel a permit, and the cases in which the committee may refuse to grant a permit, such as, for example, the applicant's failure to comply with the provisions of the Law or his criminal convictions. Regarding the placement of beehives on private land that does not require a permit, the Law determines that such placement will be required to meet the requirements of the Law concerning the placement of beehives for the purpose of providing pollination services on public land, as well as compliance with the provisions of regulations that the Minister is authorized to enact on the matter, if enacted. The Law further determines that the placement of populated beehives on public land for the purpose of providing pollination services for agricultural crops does not require a permit, but several conditions will apply to it: the one placing the hives must be a beekeeper holding a placement permit elsewhere and must report to the permits committee before the placement; and the placement must be done subject to the conditions of the Law regarding the placement period, the types of crops listed in the Schedule to the Law, and the number of beehives permitted to be placed. Regarding the roles of the Pollination and Honey Council, the Law determines that the Council will no longer fulfill regulatory roles but will engage, among other things, in promoting the professional level of beekeepers, streamlining methods of handling beehives, and ensuring the concentrated supply of production means and insurance to growers. Due to the anchoring of the Council's status and roles in the Law, various obligations are imposed on it under the Law, such as, for example, obligations on Council employees fulfilling roles under the Law, similar to the obligations applying to state employees. It was also determined that the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security may decide that the Pollination and Honey Council will provide the permits committee with the services required for the committee's activity. In addition, the Law authorizes the Minister, with the approval of the Minister of Finance and the approval of the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee, to determine in regulations, within two years from the commencement of the Law, levies to be paid to the Council for placement. Until the regulations are determined, a placement permit holder will pay the Council an annual levy of 30 new shekels for each beehive. The Law establishes transitional provisions, according to which permits granted before the commencement of the Law and in accordance with the previous law will remain valid until the completion of the first permit-granting process under the Law. In addition, it was determined that for a period of five years from the commencement date, the permits committee may grant a permit for the placement of populated beehives on public land even in the absence of approval from the competent authority as stated, if during the three years prior to the commencement date a placement permit was granted on that land. Provisions were also established regarding the transfer of information from the Pollination and Honey Council to the Ministry of Agriculture due to the regulatory powers that were held by it under the previous law. The Law will enter into force at the end of one year from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette, but the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security may, by order, with the approval of the Economic Affairs Committee, postpone the commencement date for additional periods not exceeding a cumulative total of one year.

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