According to the Mercosur agreement, up to 45,000 tons of honey will be able to enter the EU each year without customs duties, which is almost 10% of the total annual honey consumption in the EU. The EU already imports approximately 160,000 tons of honey annually from countries outside the EU, which means that the pressure on the market will be even greater.
Beekeepers in Europe produce honey according to the highest hygiene standards with the best beekeeping practices. Therefore, production costs are higher, but the quality of bee products is also higher.
Competing with imports that come from environments with lower standards and lower costs, without customs duties … this is unfair competition, this is dumping.
According to the EU Commission, almost 50% of honey on the European market is counterfeit, which represents unfair competition. We import honey without customs duties and without controls from Ukraine, and now additional honey under this agreement without customs duties and without real control…
European beekeeping will not survive this…
Every third spoonful of food depends on bee pollination. Honey can be imported, but unfortunately pollination cannot.
If the authorities in Europe sign this harmful agreement, we European beekeepers demand strict control of honey traceability and state-of-the-art analysis for residues in honey and control of honey authenticity. This control must be carried out before the honey reaches Europe!
Things are very serious and worrying, if European politics does not understand the importance of bees and beekeepers, then it should at least understand that it is necessary to protect European consumers so that they can get quality and safe bee products, unfortunately the European consumer does not have this guarantee with imported bee products! European beekeepers are the only and right choice for the European consumer, so let’s buy local honey!
Boštjan Noč, President of European Beekeeping Association
