Tintinara, SA
CATEGORY: COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE (ADVISER)
As a beekeeper, Ian Zadow is facing down plenty of threats.
Not only is the reputation of honey being damaged by recent negative media coverage across Australia, but he is also deeply concerned about the potential losses through biosecurity threats.
The South Australian beekeeper from Tintinara has taken such an active role in industry bodies in an attempt to keep those threats at bay.
To that extent, Ian has helped with two major national industry biosecurity programs. One is to run surveillance hives at ports to monitor if pests enter the country. The other is to establish a biosecurity code of practice that sets out minimum best practice to assist Australian beekeepers and biosecurity training for beekeepers so that they can recognise when there might be a biosecurity threat in their hives.
Another of his achievements is helping to develop and promote an app, where farmers and beekeepers can interact so that spraying does not affect the hives.
The first-generation beekeeper has been in the industry for 20 years and has 600 hives which he takes up to 900km away to find pollen and honey.
Yet he still finds time to host school groups to educate them on honey production and hopefully develop a taste for life for the natural product.
And he is happy to work with all sectors of agriculture, including chemical companies, with the goal of a more sustainable bee industry.