EU honey producers facing ‘distressing market situation’
European honey producers are sounding the alarm in the face of a distressing market situation and calling for an emergency action plan to be put in place.
The European honey producers and Copa-Cogeca members have launched an appeal from Brussels to the European authorities in order get a strong and rapid response. This call is accompanied by an action plan proposing concrete measures to allow for more than 650,000 European beekeepers to keep their heads above water.
According to the groups, there has been no hike in prices following the drop in honey production in the main producing and exporting countries in the south and east of the EU, which was caused by poor climatic conditions.
Etienne Bruneau, Chair of the Copa-Cogeca Working Party on Honey, said: “If the market situation does not improve, the European beekeepers who derive a significant part of their income from beekeeping will not be able to continue. This threatens the existence of more than 10 million beehives throughout the EU. Yet, beekeeping and the pollination services it provides, together with wild pollinators, are essential for European farming and horticulture as well as biodiversity. This situation therefore threatens other sectors in addition to our own.”
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