diff --git a/ckan/logic/action/get.py b/ckan/logic/action/get.py
index d9ba90f2d9e..ee3cf12495b 100644
--- a/ckan/logic/action/get.py
+++ b/ckan/logic/action/get.py
@@ -484,6 +484,11 @@ def resource_show(context, data_dict):
 
 def resource_status_show(context, data_dict):
 
+    try:
+        import ckan.lib.celery_app as celery_app
+    except ImportError:
+        return {'message': 'queue is not installed on this instance'}
+
     model = context['model']
     id = get_or_bust(data_dict, 'id')
 
diff --git a/ckan/model/__init__.py b/ckan/model/__init__.py
index 08574c58375..5fb4f25ae38 100644
--- a/ckan/model/__init__.py
+++ b/ckan/model/__init__.py
@@ -83,14 +83,16 @@ def init_db(self):
                 self.upgrade_db()
                 ## make sure celery tables are made as celery only makes them after
                 ## adding a task
-                import ckan.lib.celery_app as celery_app
-                import celery.db.session as celery_session
-
-                ##This creates the database tables it is a slight hack to celery.
-                backend = celery_app.celery.backend
-                celery_result_session = backend.ResultSession()
-                engine = celery_result_session.bind
-                celery_session.ResultModelBase.metadata.create_all(engine)
+                try:
+                    import ckan.lib.celery_app as celery_app
+                    import celery.db.session as celery_session
+                    ##This creates the database tables it is a slight hack to celery.
+                    backend = celery_app.celery.backend
+                    celery_result_session = backend.ResultSession()
+                    engine = celery_result_session.bind
+                    celery_session.ResultModelBase.metadata.create_all(engine)
+                except ImportError:
+                    pass
 
                 self.init_configuration_data()
                 self.tables_created_and_initialised = True
diff --git a/ckan/tests/logic/test_action.py b/ckan/tests/logic/test_action.py
index 38dbf233815..7ff91a3b97c 100644
--- a/ckan/tests/logic/test_action.py
+++ b/ckan/tests/logic/test_action.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import json
 from pprint import pprint
 from nose.tools import assert_equal, assert_raises
+from nose.plugins.skip import SkipTest
 from pylons import config
 
 import ckan
@@ -1014,7 +1015,11 @@ def test_38_user_role_bulk_update(self):
 
     def test_40_task_resource_status(self):
 
-        import ckan.lib.celery_app as celery_app
+        try:
+            import ckan.lib.celery_app as celery_app
+        except ImportError:
+            raise SkipTest('celery not installed')
+
         backend = celery_app.celery.backend
         ##This creates the database tables as a side effect, can not see another way
         ##to make tables unless you actually create a task.
diff --git a/requires/lucid_missing.txt b/requires/lucid_missing.txt
index dccb362c0ec..8b5789e08c8 100644
--- a/requires/lucid_missing.txt
+++ b/requires/lucid_missing.txt
@@ -20,4 +20,3 @@ ofs==0.4.1
 apachemiddleware==0.1.1
 # markupsafe is required by webhelpers==1.2 required by formalchemy with SQLAlchemy 0.6
 markupsafe==0.9.2
-celery==2.5.3