Kirklees Council defends decision to ban bees from Huddersfield allotment

Jun 23 2009 By Sam Casey

ALLOTMENT bosses have defended the decision to order a Huddersfield bee keeper to move his hives.

As reported on Saturday, Jason Clegg was told he could not keep five hives of honey bees at the Woodhill Avenue allotment in Oakes.

He has been given 28 days to remove them after being told that the bees are ‘livestock’.

Mr Clegg, 37, of Rutland Road, Longwood, received a letter telling him Kirklees Council had discretion to allow livestock on allotments under the 1950 Allotments Act.

But it added that the culture and leisure services department, which runs allotments, did not permit bee keeping on any allotment.

John Fletcher, from the department, said: "Hives are not permitted on allotments due to the dangers they can present to other allotment holders, such as swarming.

"However, wild bees do not pose this threat and should be encouraged on to allotments because of their pollination activity. For this reason we advise people against the indiscriminate use of pesticides."

Mr Fletcher said it was right for the bees to be classed as livestock.

"If you look at the dictionary definition of ‘livestock’, it is any animal and if you look at the definition of ‘insect’ you’ll find that an insect is an animal," he said.