Nearly one in two honeys imported into Europe today shows signs of being a counterfeit, and the trend is increasing upwards. If nothing is done, experts from Copa and Cogeca’s Honey Working Party estimate that the EU could lose 5 million honeybee colonies by 2030. However, this situation is not inevitable, and solutions do exist, particularly if the European Commission decides to take concrete actions.
In a new video launched today as part of its #HoneYstLabellingNow campaign, European beekeepers explain the devastating impact that imported counterfeit products are having on the sector. If nothing is done, experts estimate that around a third of European beekeepers could cease their activity and 5 million bee colonies could be lost by 2030.
This situation does not have to stay that way and the EU can act! The European Union must tighten up the rules on controls and impose origin labelling containing the percentage of each origin on the label. Consumers need more transparency and clearer information about percentages. It’s an essential starting point to put a stop to fraud along with other measures that beekeepers have already detailed previously.
The European Commission has all the momentum it needs behind it to act now and revise the Honey Directive. In the video, European beekeepers also propose the European Commission a roadmap with precise objectives: reducing counterfeiting in half by 2027 compared to figures in the analysis carried out in March 2023 with a view to having no adulterated honey present in the European market at all by 2030!
Artigo publicado originalmente em Copa Cogeca.
