- Target:
- New York City residents, agencies and elected officials
- Region:
- United States of America
- Website:
- www.justfood.org
CAMPAIGN UPDATE (MARCH 16, 2010)
Success!!! The Board of Health voted today in favor of lifting the ban on honeybee-keeping in NYC!! Thanks and congrats to all who supported the campaign! ~ Nadia
ARCHIVED BACKGROUND
Question: What do cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver have that NYC does not?
Answer: Legalized beekeeping.
Bee keeping is currently illegal in New York City. The New York City Health Code under Section 161.01 prohibits the possession, keeping, harboring and selling of “wild animals.” This ban, in it’s listing of “all venomous insects” includes bees and in doing so outlaws beekeeping.
Honeybees are garden heroes! Honeybees help gardens grow more fruit and vegetables and produce sweet honey. They are nature’s best pollinators and contribute to productive harvests in community gardens, public parks and nature centers.
In order to improve the health and well-being of our urban environment and populace, Just Food proposes that honeybees be removed or exempted from Health Code 161.01.
To find out more about the benefits of legalized beekeeping, read our honeybee fact sheet at: http://justfood.org/issues/
Beekeeping is a vital practice, one essential to the health of our urban environment and has tremendous potential as a vehicle for economic development and education efforts City-wide. Therefore, we propose the New York City Department of Health amend Health Code section 161.01(b) (12) which bans the practice of beekeeping in New York City. New York City Health Code section 161.01 prohibits the possession, keeping, harboring and selling of “wild animals” and subsection (b) (12) includes a ban on “all venomous insects, including, but not limited to, bee, hornet and wasp.” We, the undersigned, propose that the Department of Health remove bees from this list, thereby lifting its ban on beekeeping.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Legalize Beekeeping in NYC! petition to New York City residents, agencies and elected officials was written by nadia johnson and is in the category Environment at GoPetition.