Limerick facility becomes an official area of conservation for Native Irish Honey Bee

Britvic Ireland has announced that its Ballygowan facility in Newcastle West, has become an official area of conservation for the Native Irish Honey Bee.

The commitment aims to raise awareness on the importance of pollinators and their contribution to sustainable development and makes Ballygowan the only bottled water company in Ireland that has a commitment to being an area of conservation with the National Irish Honey Bee Society (NIHBS).

The Newcastle West site is the biggest industry in Limerick to have a conservation area that boasts over 40 acres of protected land, part of which is used to house five Native Irish Honey Bee colonies as part of the area of conservation for the species.

The Native Irish Honey Bee plays a critical role in the pollination of plants and crops, however research published by University of Galway in 2023 found that the level

s of the native black honeybee are in stark decline due to cross-breeding with non-native imports, also known as hybridisation. According to the research, the rate of hybridisation has risen from 5% to over 12% across a five-year period.

To support the Native Irish Honey Bee’s survival and prosperity in the area of conservation, Britvic Ireland expanded long flowering meadows on the Newcastle West site from just over 2,700 metres squared to nearly 23,000 metres squared in 2022 and has allowed all meadows to grow year-round with overgrown shrubs cut back to enable fresh growth and wildflower development.

Kevin Donnelly, managing director, Britvic Ireland commented: “Sustainability and biodiversity are central to our operations at Britvic Ireland. I am delighted that our Ballygowan production facility at Newcastle West is now an official area of conservation for the Native Irish Honey Bee.

“By its nature, Ballygowan has always been attuned to the importance of our environment and as a company, we recognise the critical role that biodiversity holds in contributing to our ecosystem.

“Without key pollinators, we would be without the fruits and flavours that are carefully crafted into some of our best loved products. With this certification, we make another step of progress in our biodiversity commitment, with Ballygowan now recognised as the only bottled water company in Ireland that has committed to being an Area of Conservation with the NIHBS, which we are very proud of.”

As members of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, Britvic Ireland participated in No Mow May, which is a campaign that encourages the natural growth of flora by refraining from cutting grassy areas to help native wildlife.