Supermarket honey price ridiculously low - why?

[Murox]

I read less than 10% somewhere

No worries - certain countries export more honey than they have hives to produce it - we happily import a lot of it.

 

[Newbeeneil]

This quote 95% imports.
https://www.kbvresearch.com/uk-honey-market/
"The demand of honey has risen in the past few years. European honey industry is the second largest producer of honey. But the local production is not sufficient. There is consumption of about 43,000 tons of honey per year in UK. Out of this, 95% of the honey demand is fulfilled by import different countries. There are huge opportunities for the new supplier of honey in UK."

 

[Michael Palmer]

I don't believe you will ever stop imports. The issues to me, are twofold.
First issue...adulterated honey. Adding rice syrup or some other sweetener needs to be stopped. This cheapens up the price of honey to a level none of us can compete with.
Second issue...low prices of imported honey. Here, our market is flooded by boatloads of cheap honey from all the usual countries. How can we compete with 50 cent honey?? Got so bad I couldn't sell my crop for three years. Packers offering honey at $1.50 a pound, way below production price. With a shop full of honey, I lost $60,000 in two years. Had the honey but couldn't sell it.

Now? The US honey industry has brought a lawsuit against those countries...Vietnam, India, Ukraine, Argentina...for dumping honey on our markets. And, we won. The price of bulk honey is rising rapidly....gone over $2.50 already and reports say the price will be more than $3 before too long. Just in the nick of time.

Would something similar help you UK/Irish beekeepers with the cheap, most likely adulterated product?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Would something similar help you UK/Irish beekeepers with the cheap, most likely adulterated product

Not really - We cannot produce enough honey to meet the demand and never will and there will always be a demand for 'cheap' lower end honey as well as a demand for our quality product, putting a stop to imported adulterated honey would at least help bring up their prices and so help us by not being constantly compared to the 99 pence jar of Tesco 'honey'

 

[pargyle]

Not really - We cannot produce enough honey to meet the demand and never will and there will always be a demand for 'cheap' lower end honey as well as a demand for our quality product, putting a stop to imported adulterated honey would at least help bring up their prices and so help us by not being constantly compared to the 99 pence jar of Tesco 'honey'

Plus ...there is no central bee/honey organisation in the UK with the will or the ability to campaign on behalf of beekeepers against cheap foreign (dubious quality ?) imports. I have no issue with genuine honey being sold in the UK - wherever it comes from - but, with the USA hardening up on fake honey imports into the USA the rogues are going to be looking for other markets - and with growing honey sales in the UK and apparently little practical regulation we are probably a prime target.

 

[Somerford]

Have you seen the Rowse add that's bee showing on TV? I watched it last night and was sure I heard the actor say "What if every squeeze of honey could protect the bees that laid it." (0.27 on the vid.)
I'm still not sure I'm hearing it right but do they think bees really LAY honey?
https://www.rowsehoney.co.uk/

I've seen their advert a few times now and it is really starting to grind my gears

I think they are being entirely disingenuous in their claims. They don't 'support' British bees. Yes they fund something towards the BFA led apprenticeship scheme (amount undisclosed) but they don't buy or supply British honey any more to my knowledge and they aren't interested in buying British either. Neither do they fund or support beneficial replanting or any support to agriculture in general to help farmers integrate their systems with support for the pollinators over and above what they do already.

Along with their shelf edge outer that suggests they are supporting beekeepers it amounts to a complete hoodwink of the public.

The advert is a load of virtue signalling woke guff.

KR

S

 

[Somerford]

Plus ...there is no central bee/honey organisation in the UK with the will or the ability to campaign on behalf of beekeepers against cheap foreign (dubious quality ?) imports. I have no issue with genuine honey being sold in the UK - wherever it comes from - but, with the USA hardening up on fake honey imports into the USA the rogues are going to be looking for other markets - and with growing honey sales in the UK and apparently little practical regulation we are probably a prime target.

You're right

the BBKA do the square root of sod'all in this respect and would rather encourage people to sign misleading petitions about pesticide derogations that aren't even on a bee-friendly crop

DEFRA and the Agricultural departments aren't interested either.

what would it take for people to sit up and take notice and demand change I wonder ?

KR

S

 

[Sanntos]

Since many customers now wants locally produced honey, and are ready to pay for it (if they find it) the situation has changed. Any local beekeeper with a premium product selling wholesale are leaving half the income on the table.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

the rogues are going to be looking for other markets

And with the rogues we have in charge at the moment, we're one brown envelope away from being inundated by the stuff

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

the BBKA do the square root of sod'all in this respect

Their sole objective since their establishment has been to supress commercial beekeeping in the UK and convince everyone that only hobby beekeeping is possible or sustainable here

 

[pargyle]

You're right

the BBKA do the square root of sod'all in this respect and would rather encourage people to sign misleading petitions about pesticide derogations that aren't even on a bee-friendly crop

DEFRA and the Agricultural departments aren't interested either.

what would it take for people to sit up and take notice and demand change I wonder ?

KR

S

An organised campaign to get people interested and aware of British honey ? ...rather than some of the carp on the shelves of the supermarkets purporting to be what it clearly is not.

Nothing will happen unless it is consumer led - the packers and supermarkets are largely driven by sales and profit motivation and the reality is that unless consumers are educated then sales of the dubious stuff will continue.

The BBKA and the BFA should be getting behind a Buy British Honey campaign ... these days with social media opportunities, influencers who reach tens of thousands of people it is not difficult to get a worthwhile campaign noticed. The current interest in the so called (and largely erroneous) plight of the honey bee provided an existing avenue to ride on the back of. Getting people to look at honey jar labels for a BRITISH HONEY symbol would be a very good starting point.

Part of the BBKA mantra (as I recall) is supposed to be related to Education and Awarenes so it would not be a quantum leap to move into cosumer awareness of British honey.

 

[pargyle]

And with the rogues we have in charge at the moment, we're one brown envelope away from being inundated by the stuff

Well .... lets not drag this thread into the cupboard under the stairs ... I don't think there is enough money in fake honey coming into the UK to need to incentivise government - let's face it - it's mostly unregulated in any formal sense and has always been thus ... not much point in bribing anyone to create something that is already there !

Lets face it ... there is easier money to be had when you are looking for it...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politic...rdiner-accepted-425000-donations-chinese-spy/

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Well .... lets not drag this thread into the cupboard under the stairs

youre right - I'll leave you to jump in and defend this lot and shut up.

 

[PeaBee]

Their sole objective since their establishment has been to supress commercial beekeeping in the UK and convince everyone that only hobby beekeeping is possible or sustainable here

So with BBKA more interested in pushing its local bee mantra and honey production way down its priorities the BFA having cash input from one of the largest importers and some of its members being both producers and importers/packers can't see either taking an interest.

 

[pargyle]

youre right - I'll leave you to jump in and defend this lot and shut up.

There's nothing defensible about what is going on at present - but I don't think that honey features anywhere near the top of the list of things they have or haven't done ... Mind you, one would think that Useless Eustice, coming from a background in farming would have made some better decisions than those he has made lately.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Talking of honey
Did anybody see the HUNNY on Countryfile?

 

[PeaBee]

Talking of honey
Did anybody see the HUNNY on Countryfile?

Yep what a load of nonsense. Surely it was a fruit jelly

 

[Newbeeneil]

After seeing the program I was having the standard debate with SWMBO regarding "Hunny". Her comment was "why does it bother you? You won't lose any sales cos a vegan won't buy your honey anyway! "
What could I say...... she's got a point.

 

[user 20297]

Well .... lets not drag this thread into the cupboard under the stairs ... I don't think there is enough money in fake honey coming into the UK to need to incentivise government - let's face it - it's mostly unregulated in any formal sense and has always been thus ... not much point in bribing anyone to create something that is already there !

Lets face it ... there is easier money to be had when you are looking for it...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politic...rdiner-accepted-425000-donations-chinese-spy/

Didn't you just do that...a link to a paywalled Tory rag saying effectively that a Labour MP. took the best part of half a million from a Chinese spy. No explanation of whether the MP was aware she was a spy (if she is) and of what the money was for or what was done with it....and none of this in any way connected with honey.

 

[Somerford]

Talking of honey
Did anybody see the HUNNY on Countryfile?

Yes and just because she dropped the ‘O’ and used a ‘U’ instead doesn’t change the way it’s pronounced . Therefore it shouldn’t be called anything that can be misconstrued as Honey