A recent report analyses honey trade data and highlights key issues explaining the critical market situation EU beekeepers are experiencing, including unfair competition, adulterated honey, and unsustainable imports.
The European honey market faces a crisis driven by climate change, rising production costs, low-cost imports, and widespread honey fraud. In 2022, the EU produced only 60% of its honey needs, with 36% imported from China. Many imported honey fails to meet EU quality standards, often due to mislabeling and added sugar syrups. This situation threatens the livelihoods of beekeepers, food security, and biodiversity in the EU, as insufficient bee populations are already impacting pollination in certain regions, for wild pollinators are not enough.
The report recommends potential solutions, such as improving traceability, reinforcing controls, and ensuring import prices reflect actual production costs. Immediate action is necessary to safeguard the beekeeping sector and protect pollination services crucial for agriculture.
