Meet Sarah Hickman – Engagement Officer (DPI)
Sarah grew up around beekeeping, with both her grandfather and stepfather keeping bees, instilling in her a lifelong fascination with insects, especially honeybees.
Her commercial beekeeping experience began in New Zealand, where she gained firsthand experience managing varroa and learning the importance of Integrated Pest Management practices in a synthetic chemical free operation.
That experience ultimately led Sarah back to Queensland to join the “mite fight” as a Varroa Development Officer, a role she held for 12 months before transitioning into her current position as Engagement Officer with the Varroa Mite Innovation and Resilience Initiative (VMIRI).
In her role, Sarah supports beekeepers through education, guidance, resources, and industry engagement. She also works with pollination-reliant industries to raise awareness of the current Queensland varroa situation and the possible future challenges varroa may create.
Sarah works closely with Queensland’s Biosecurity Champions network, a dedicated group of volunteer beekeepers who act as an important supportive bridge between government and industry by sharing information, updates, and resources with clubs and communities across the state.
Contact Details for Bee Biosecurity Officer (BBO)
Funding for BBO and Other Programs
The Queensland Bee Biosecurity Officer is funded by money collected from the honey levy. When a beekeeper sells more than 1500kgs honey per year, they must pay a levy on that honey. This levy money goes towards different programs.
On average, honey production in Australia, including commercial and recreational production, is 37,000 tonnes. In a typical year 70 per cent of Australian honey is produced from native flora.
See this diagram for a breakdown of where the honey levy is directed. The levy is only collected on approximately 20,000 tonnes of honey produced in Australia.
For more information please follow the below link to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
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