Imported Honey to be banned or labelled with Country of Origin. Eg. China, Argentina...

With over 200000 signatures our government must act now to save the Australian beekeeping industry.

 Imported honey can carry different strains of diseases that can effect not only Australian honeybees but over 1500 indigenous bee species. One disease American Foul Brood is presently decimating bee colonies. AFB disease can be spread easily by animal lovers feeding birds and possums honey outdoors. Often people use cheap imported honey to feed animals and birds. We can learn from the prawn industry. Innocently people used imported prawns for bait which decimated the local prawn industry. The same thing is happening to our bees due to imported honey.

With large packers importing huge amounts of imported honey Australia’s reputation overseas has been tarnished. Only a minuscule amount of honey entering the country is tested for purity each year, and as such there is a high chance of impure honey - which has either been produced by supplemental feeding of bee colonies or adulterated with other sweeteners entering the country undetected. This imported honey mostly from China is blended with Australian honey than reexported which means Australia is now considered a high risk country to buy honey from.

Australian food industry is dependent on honeybee pollination. For the pollination industry to remain strong we need a healthy bees and a healthy honey industry within Australia. By banning the importation of honey into Australia it will strengthen the pollination industry . Australian wholesale honey prices have been declining. If this continues many beekeepers with leave the pollination industry.

Australian Beekeeper’s are receiving an unfair price. New Zealand banned imports and their wholesale price of honey is $12 a kilogram because of imports Australian Beekeeper’s are being paid as low as $3.10 a kilogram . Australia is the only continent in the world free of Varroa Destructor so our honey is free from chemical treatments. Australian Honey is some of the purist in the world our beekeepers deserve to be paid a premium price.

Corporations are confusing consumers by not adding country of origin on their imported honey. Many Australian’s believe they are buying Australian honey when in fact it is Chinese honey blended with Australian honey. It is unfair Australians do not know the country of origin on the honey they purchase.