King Bee Honey owner David Mumford says a long-awaited $2 million support package for the apiary industry is a sign the state government has opened its eyes to the potential of honey.

In a move the government says will future-proof the industry, the program – worth $1.9 million – is headlined by a decision to audit NSW government-owned lands for suitability as bee sites.

It will also seek to establish pollinator-friendly plants in rural NSW, a honey library and research new honey markets to promote it as a health food.

Mr Mumford, of Narrandera, believes it is an “opening-of-the-gate” moment for beekeepers and the government and says the decision to audit lands for use will revitalise their work.

“I think this is a big opening to realise the importance of the bee industry in New South Wales,” he said.

“We are an industry that hasn’t been given a lot of money in the past we are a silent industry.

“Finally, the government is going to audit the lands for the suitability of bee sites it’s the big one for me which I’ve been on about for years. I’ve always made the point that we’ve been locked out of Kosciuszko National Park since the 1970s. Hopefully the areas that haven’t been burnt we will be allowed back in to.”

The audit of lands will allow beekeepers the opportunity to expand their operations after drought, bushfires and the pandemic have brought the industry down to the bare bones.

“The bushfires impacted us greatly,” Mr Mumford said.

“We either go out west or into the hills after Christmas but after the fires last year we couldn’t do that. We can’t go out west every year because the trees butt up and so we go to the mountains in the cycle. Not having the mountains and losing a lot of country up there impacted us. Some of my sites that I’ve been using for 30 or 40 years I will not see flowering again in my lifetime.

“Hopefully this audit will bring out the fact that I’ve lost national parks and forestry sites and it opens other lands and gives us other alternatives.

“We haven’t produced the amount of honey we should be and prices have gone up.”

Minister for Agriculture and Western New South Wales Adam Marshall is supporting apiaries across the state after 9,800 hives were destroyed and another 88,000 significantly impacted due to heat and smoke during the bushfires.

“To ensure industry can recover as quickly as possible, we’re supporting a number of projects designed to boost confidence in the sector, as well as increase the resilience and sustainability of the industry,” Mr Marshall said.

“We will also lead the development of a ‘honey library’ to help identify the unique profile of NSW honey to ensure provenance as well as protect the high-quality reputation of the State’s industry.

“The NSW Government will also offer subsidised commercial beekeeper training through Tocal College to give aspiring apiarists the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in the industry, with a focus on honeybee biosecurity and queen bee breeding.”