European beekeepers, in a difficult situation due to several factors, called, on Tuesday 11 April, for a revision of the honey directive to provide for transparent labelling of the product’s country of origin.
Copa and Cogeca’s Honey Working Party have raised the shocking revelations of studies conducted by the European Commission services on the adulteration of every second honey tested on the European market (see EUROPE 13148/12).
“The solutions to tackle this massive fraud are known and must be implemented in the upcoming revision of the EU Honey Directive”, say the EU’s agricultural organisations and cooperatives (Copa-Cogeca).
It is in this context that the agricultural organisations have launched a call for mobilisation to all EU beekeepers on social media, under the hashtag #HoneYstlabellingNow.
European professional beekeepers are on their knees due to the effects of climate change and soaring prices. Several important European markets (Hungary, Spain and Italy) have even stopped functioning.
In fact, beekeepers regret a significant increase in cheaper imported honey, mainly from China and perhaps tomorrow from Vietnam and India. “Thus, the EU could lose a third of its hives in the coming years, meaning further imports”, Copa-Cogeca said. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)