Bill 565.

Summary.

The bill proposes a public-order legal framework for preventing, responding to, managing and monitoring bee emergencies throughout the Republic of Panama, including urban, rural, residential, industrial and conservation areas. It would apply to public and private bodies and to individuals and legal entities involved in handling swarms, colonies or attacks. Its purposes include protecting life and health, safeguarding responders, conserving bees as pollinators, coordinating institutions, and strengthening research, statistics and public education. It defines Africanized bees, managed honey bees, beekeepers, swarms, emergencies, responsible management and relocation, among other terms. Its governing principles are the primacy of life and health, prevention, pollinator conservation, responder safety and shared responsibility.

The bill designates the Meritorious Fire Department of the Republic of Panama (Benemérito Cuerpo de Bomberos de la República de Panamá) as the lead emergency response authority. It would coordinate with the National Civil Protection System (Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil, SINAPROC), the Ministry of Health (Ministerio de Salud), the Ministry of Environment (Ministerio de Ambiente), the Ministry of Agricultural Development (Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario) and local authorities. Formal arrangements would allocate duties, share statistical and georeferenced records, and coordinate prevention. Firefighters would handle reports received through official channels, apply the protocol, maintain specialized personnel and submit records of their interventions. The Ministry of Agricultural Development would coordinate existing beekeeping rules and beekeeper and apiary registers; the Ministry of Environment would address pollinator protection and relocation sites; and the Ministry of Health would coordinate medical care and epidemiological surveillance. Municipalities would adopt supplementary measures by municipal agreement. Universities and research centers could enter into agreements on research, protocol assessment and training. Beekeepers, associations and trade groups would assist with relocations, refuge apiaries, good practices and community training.

The bill requires the fire department to approve a national protocol by resolution within no more than twelve months after the law enters into force. The protocol would set criteria for assessing and classifying risks, using protective equipment, relocating or containing colonies, and handling waste and chemical substances. The department would also ensure certified protective equipment and suitable tools, define technical specifications, and substantiate resource needs before the Ministry of Economy and Finance (Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas). The National Protocol for Responding to Bee Emergencies (Protocolo Nacional para la Atención de Emergencias por Abejas) would distinguish interventions involving Africanized bees in high-risk areas from those involving managed honey bees or less aggressive bees. Relocation to authorized apiaries or designated sites would be favored, preferably with registered beekeepers and specialists. Colony elimination would be exceptional, subject to a technical risk assessment, the stated grounds of danger or infeasibility of relocation, and a written technical record of the reasons.

The bill also recognizes bees' ecological role and calls for recurring campaigns on prevention, conduct around swarms and official reporting channels. Local governments would include measures to prevent fires that drive bees toward populated areas in their environmental management instruments. Initial and continuing training programs would be established for responders. The National Bee Emergency Registry would collect geographic information, incident types and outcomes, and consolidated health statistics, subject to personal data protection rules. The Executive Branch (Órgano Ejecutivo), acting through the Ministry of Government (Ministerio de Gobierno) and the Ministry of Agricultural Development, would issue regulations within twelve months after promulgation. The institutions would have up to 12 months after entry into force to implement the protocol and registry, adapt their procedures and begin specialized training. During that period, they would continue responding under existing protocols. The bill provides for entry into force upon promulgation in the Official Gazette. Its provisions concern the named agencies, municipalities, the beekeeping and agricultural sectors, educational institutions, researchers and communities exposed to bee incidents.