Overview

• The administrative court in Neustadt an der Weinstraße rejected the beekeepers’ emergency application and upheld the Landkreis Bad Dürkheim order as lawful.
• County testing in July found American foulbrood spores at every location where the two beekeepers had placed hives.
• Inspectors reported in August that identification markings linking samples to specific colonies had been removed, blocking assignment of results and targeted remediation.
• All colonies must be destroyed under an official veterinarian’s supervision, with the county withholding the timing to protect those involved and the measures.
• The Rhineland-Palatinate beekeepers’ association supports the cull to protect neighboring apiaries, noting earlier unpermitted placements and the absence of a timely remediation plan.