Canary Islands declares beekeepers of Gran Canaria of public interest

The Government of the Canary Islands has declared the Gran Canaria Beekeepers Association, APIGRANCA, to be of public interest to the Canary Islands, by means of Decree 148/2026, of September 21. The decision is published in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands (Boletín Oficial de Canarias) no. 194, of September 28, 2026, within section III. Other Resolutions (page 35426). The recognition is based on the fact that the entity’s statutory purposes tend to promote the general interest of the Autonomous Community and the benefit that its activity brings to Canarian society.

Legal basis and processing of the file

The declaration is supported by article 38.1 of Law 4/2003, of February 28, on Associations of the Canary Islands, which allows this status to be granted to associations of autonomous territorial scope registered in the Registry of Associations that meet the circumstances provided for in the regulation. Paragraph 2 of the same article establishes that the declaration is made by government decree, according to the procedurally determined method.

That procedure is set out in article 76 of the Regulations of Associations of the Canary Islands, approved by Decree 12/2007, of February 5, which was observed in the processing of the file initiated at the request of the association itself. The decree was approved upon the proposal of the Minister of Presidency, Public Administrations, Justice and Security, Nieves Lady Barreto Hernández, and following deliberation by the Government in its meeting on September 21, 2026. It is signed by the President of the Government, Fernando Clavijo Batlle.

APIGRANCA has been registered since 1988 in the Registry of Associations of the Canary Islands under number G1/S1/17066-10/GC and its territorial scope of action is the entire Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands.

The purposes supporting the recognition

The file includes the purposes of general interest that the association declares in article 2 of its Statutes, oriented towards the protection of the environment, biodiversity, and the sustainable development of the rural environment:

• Contribute to the protection, conservation, genetic improvement, and breeding of the native Canarian Black Bee (Apis mellifera) breed, considered biological and genetic heritage of the Archipelago.
• Foster the sustainable development of beekeeping in the Canary Islands with practices that are respectful of pollinators and island ecosystems.
• Promote collective apicultural health through Livestock Health Defense Groups (ADSG).
• Develop training, research, scientific dissemination, and knowledge transfer in beekeeping, biodiversity, and bee genetics.
• Drive environmental education and social awareness regarding the role of bees and pollinators.
• Collaborate with administrations, universities, and research centers on conservation and animal health programs.
• Represent and defend the interests of the beekeeping sector before public administrations.
• Facilitate access to support programs, grants, and public or private projects related to its purposes.
• Collaborate in the management of registries, censuses, or studbooks of the native breed.

Communications and appeals

The decree orders the notification of the resolution to the interested entity in accordance with Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administrations. Likewise, it provides for its communication to the Ministry of Finance and Relations with the European Union, the Canarian Institute of Food Quality, the City Councils of Agüimes and Telde, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty, and the Island Council of Gran Canaria.

Against this act, which ends the administrative route, an optional appeal for reversal may be filed before the Government within one month from the day following its notification or publication, or directly a contentious-administrative appeal before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands within two months.

Impact on the beekeeping sector

The declaration positions APIGRANCA as a recognized entity of general interest in the Archipelago, which strengthens its position to collaborate with administrations in official selection and conservation programs for the Canarian Black Bee and in the protection of pollinators. For the beekeeping sector and the rural environment of Gran Canaria, this recognition opens the door to its participation as a collaborating entity in public initiatives for biodiversity, animal health, and sustainable development.

Source: Official Gazette of the Canary Islands, no. 194, of September 28, 2026, section III. Other Resolutions, page 35426 (official reference: boc-a-2026-194-3349).