Public announcement
Publication date: 2026-08-11
Animal Disease Regulatory General Order No. 4/2026 for Protection Against American Foulbrood (AFB) in Bees Establishment of a Restricted Area and Ordering of Animal Disease Control Measures
The bee apiary is located in the municipal area of the town of Radevormwald.
Pursuant to §§ 3, 4, 5b, 10 and 11 of the Bee Disease Ordinance (BienSeuchV) in conjunction with the Implementing Act on the Animal Health Act and the Animal By-Products Disposal Act (AG TierGesG TierNebG NRW), the following restricted zone is established and the following orders are issued:
Around the infected apiary, an area with a radius of approximately one kilometer is designated as a restricted area. The area of the restricted zone lies entirely within the territory of the Oberbergischer Kreis and comprises parts of the town of Radevormwald and parts of the town of Hückeswagen.
The outer boundary of the restricted zone is shown as a blue line in the following map excerpt:
The interactive map of the restricted zone indicated above can be viewed on the website of the Oberbergischer Kreis at www.obk.de can be inspected.
- Order of Animal Disease Control Measures
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2.1 |
Owners of bee colonies within the restricted zone must immediately report their apiaries, stating the location and the number of colonies, to the Veterinär- und Lebensmittelüberwachungsamt des Oberbergischen Kreises, Stahlstraße 5, 51645 Gummersbach, telephone number 02261 88 3903, or e-mail: amt39@obk.de must be reported.
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2.2 |
All bee colonies and apiaries within the restricted zone are to be examined immediately by an official veterinarian for American foulbrood. In the course of the examination, food-comb samples are additionally to be taken from each colony. This examination is to be repeated no earlier than two months and no later than nine months after the destruction or treatment of the bee colonies of the infected apiary that had contracted the disease. The follow-up examination may be dispensed with, in consultation with the official veterinarian, if no foulbrood pathogens were detected in the comb honey samples.
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2.3 |
Mobile bee stands may not be removed from their location.
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2.4 |
Bee colonies or bees may not be brought into the restricted zone.
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2.5 |
Bee colonies, live or dead bees, combs, comb parts, comb waste, wax, honey, food stores, beehives and used equipment may not be removed from the apiaries.
Wax, combs, comb parts and comb waste, if they are delivered to wax-processing establishments that have the equipment necessary for disinfecting the wax, under the designation "Seuchenwachs" (contaminated wax).
Honey that is not intended for feeding to bees.
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2.6 |
Each bee colony/apiary may only be entered by an owner, their representative, persons entrusted with the supervision, maintenance and care of the bee colonies, veterinarians, and persons acting on official orders.
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2.7 |
Every owner of bee colonies or apiaries, or their representative, is obliged to provide the necessary assistance for carrying out the examinations ordered herein.
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- Exemption Provision
The Veterinary and Food Inspection Office may permit exceptions to the orders under item 2 for bee colonies, bees, beehives and equipment as well as food stores, if there is no risk of the disease being spread.
- Order for Immediate Enforcement
The immediate execution of the measures under numbers 1 and 2 is hereby ordered, insofar as they are not already immediately enforceable pursuant to § 37 sentence 1 of the Animal Health Act (Tiergesundheitsgesetz).
- Entry into Force
This general order enters into force on the day following its publication.
American Foulbrood is a notifiable animal disease that, while harmless to humans, is a bacterial disease which can spread rapidly from one bee colony to another and result in the loss of colonies. This is particularly the case when strong, healthy bees invade weakened and diseased colonies and rob their infected honey.
This behaviour results in the bees carrying the disease-causing bacterial spores into their own hive. In its spore form, the pathogen can survive in the environment for a long period of time. In addition, transmission can occur via the beekeeper through contaminated equipment. The brood that is affected is the bee brood located in a brood cell sealed with a wax capping.
According to the written notification of the Chemisches und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt Rhein-Ruhr-Wupper dated 06.08.2026, the pathogen was detected in five food-comb samples from a bee colony in the town of RadevormwaldSpores of American foulbrood detected.
Clinical abnormalities had already been detected when the samples were taken on 28.07.2026.
On 06.08.2026, on the basis of this finding and the positive bacteriological finding, the outbreak of American foulbrood official established.
The control of American foulbrood in bees is regulated under EU law in Regulation (EU) 2016/429. American foulbrood is a disease subject to notification and monitoring obligations under Categories D and E pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2018/1882 in conjunction with Regulation (EU) 2016/429. Article 71 of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 gives Member States the option of laying down national measures in addition to the disease control measures under European law, provided that the national measures comply with European law and are necessary and proportionate for controlling the spread of the disease. The national Bee Disease Regulation (BienSeuchV) therefore continues to apply in all its parts, provided that it does not impose lower requirements than European law or contradict it, and that the measures are necessary and proportionate.
Pursuant to § 10 (1) BienSeuchV, following official confirmation a restricted zone of at least 1 km must be established.
Pursuant to § 5 b BienSeuchV, I may order that owners of bee colonies within a restricted zone must report their apiaries, stating their location.
In order to combat American Foulbrood and to determine how far American Foulbrood has already spread, it is necessary to obtain a current overview of all bee stands and colonies located within the restricted district. For this reason, the order to report bee stands within the restricted district is the only suitable, necessary and proportionate means of obtaining a comprehensive overview of the bee population within the restricted district.
The official examination is carried out by employees or agents of the veterinary authority. These may also include bee experts commissioned by the Veterinär- und Lebensmittelüberwachungsamt (Veterinary and Food Control Office) of the Oberbergischer Kreis. Animal keepers and persons entitled to dispose must, in accordance with the statutory provisions, tolerate the entry of employees and agents of the veterinary authority onto properties and into business, commercial, operating, storage and residential premises. In addition, in accordance with the statutory provisions, the necessary information must be provided and the required documents handed over upon request (§ 24 paras. 4 to 9 of the Animal Health Act [Tiergesundheitsgesetz]). The orders are necessary, appropriate and suitable for quickly and effectively preventing further spread of the animal disease. No milder means of achieving this objective is apparent, so that the provisions are also proportionate. After weighing all interests, priority must be given to the public interest in preventing the spread of the animal disease.
Pursuant to § 80 para. 2 no. 4 VwGO, immediate execution may be ordered in the particular public interest. For reasons of effective animal disease control, it is necessary that the above-mentioned measures be taken immediately. The introduction of American foulbrood into further areas carries the risk of further harm to animal health and economic damage and must therefore be prevented as swiftly and effectively as possible. These risks must be weighted more heavily than any personal interest in the suspensive effect of a legal remedy that has been lodged. Moreover, it is in the overriding public interest that the authority, irrespective of the duration of any legal remedy proceedings, immediately takes the measures necessary to maintain animal health and to protect against the introduction and further spread of American foulbrood, so that the animal disease is contained as quickly as possible.
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- Statement of Reasons for item 5.-Entry into Force
Pursuant to § 41 paragraph 4 sentence 4 and § 43 paragraph 1 VwVfG NRW, the day following the publication may be determined as the date of notification and thus of entry into force of a general order. I have made use of this option in order to prevent the further spread of American foulbrood.
An action against this order may be brought before the Cologne Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgericht Köln), seated in Köln, within one month of notification.
Gummersbach, 11.08.2026
sgd.
Heße
Deputy District Administrator