Manitoba beekeepers say they have been stung by a global glut of honey, sinking prices and leading to fears it could force some out of business.
Allan Campbell co-owns Durston Honey Farms near Dauphin, Man. His farm is still sitting on some of last year's crop. He said not even slashing prices is making it move.
"We're seeing a global glut of honey, it seems" he said. "I've spoken with many different producers who are still sitting on tons and tons of last year's honey."
"Last year we were getting about $2.35 per pound. That has dropped to $1.15 so far," he said.
Campbell said it's unusual to have honey left over from a previous year and he's never had issues selling it before next year's crop is ready. He blames changes in export patterns for the issues.
"We're seeing more Argentine honey coming into the United States, which is huge market for Canada, so now we're competing with them," he said. "To make matters worse, there seems to be quite an issue with Chinese honey being transshipped through other countries and coming into the country illegally."
A national problem
And it's not just a Manitoba problem. Beekeepers across Canada are dealing with the same issues, according to Canadian Honey Council chair Kevin Nixon.
"The market is saturated globally and it is affecting all of us right now," he said. "We've been told there is a global over-supply of honey."
Nixon said he's heard of the same issues with Chinese honey as Campbell has. He said honey from that country laced with antibiotics essentially shut down China's honey export market in the mid-2000s. But they've since become creative and it's making its way back to North America.
"They started shipping it to other countries and those countries re-exported it," Nixon said. "We're seeing honey coming from Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar."
Nixon said honey can be traced by inspecting traces of pollen and floral patterns.
Source : CBC