New honey labelling rules welcomed by Tipperary beekeeper

New changes to honey labelling in Ireland have been welcomed by local honey producer Aoife Nic Giolla Coda of Galtee Honey Farm located in South Tipperary, who says greater transparency will help consumers understand exactly where their honey comes from.

The new EU honey labelling rules came into effect in Ireland in June of this year.

The changes mean consumers will have clearer information about the countries from which blended honey originates, making it easier to distinguish Irish produced honey from imported products.

For local producers such as Galtee Honey Farm, Aoife believes the changes are a positive development, although she says Irish honey has always had a loyal customer base.

“From our point of view, they're definitely not a bad thing,” she said about the changes to labelling in Ireland.

“Local producers are always able to sell their honey anyway. The cheap supermarket honeys are not really competition for local honey producers because people that know their honey, they buy it and they are willing to pay the premium price for it because they know the value of it and the work that goes into it.”

Aoife believes the biggest benefit of the new rules may actually be for consumers rather than producers.

“The best thing out of all of this is not for the Irish beekeeper. It's actually for the Irish consumers,” she said.

She believes consumers deserve complete transparency when purchasing honey and should be able to identify immediately where the product has come from.

“It’s so important that consumers have this full transparency,” she explained. “A consumer can pick up a jar of honey and see straight away now where exactly their honey is coming from.”

In the past, Aoife says, some imported honey products could give consumers the impression that they were buying Irish honey because of their branding and packaging.

She pointed to products carrying Irish sounding names and imagery, saying that the presentation could sometimes make it difficult for shoppers to distinguish imported honey from genuine Irish produced honey.

“One of the most annoying things for Irish beekeepers is that people would pick them up off the shop shelf and think they were Irish honey,” she said.

The issue is particularly relevant given the significant price difference between imported honey and honey produced by Irish beekeepers.

Aoife explained that there are several reasons why imported honey can be considerably cheaper, including lower production costs in other countries.

However, she also believes consumers should be aware of wider issues surrounding honey production internationally.

“Honey is the second most frauded food in the world after olive oil,” she said.

She stressed that she was not suggesting that all cheaper honey is adulterated, but said there have been concerns internationally about honey authenticity and that greater transparency can help consumers make more informed choices.

Aoife also highlighted what she sees as a fair trade issue within the international honey industry.

“If the consumer in Ireland is paying €2 or €3 for a jar of honey, how much is the actual worker getting who is involved in producing that honey?” she asked.

She believes consumers should consider the people behind the food they purchase and whether producers are receiving a fair return for their work.

“There should be a fair price for the producer for all food across the board,” she said. “Honey is no different.”

Despite the new labelling requirements, Aoife does not expect imported honey to disappear from Irish supermarket shelves and she pointed out that Ireland simply cannot produce enough honey to meet domestic demand.

“Irish honey only makes up, I think, 2.5% of the honey consumed in Ireland,” she said.

Ireland's climate is one of the reasons for the relatively small scale of domestic honey production compared with major honey producing countries around the world.

“There are very few full time beekeepers in Ireland because it's very difficult to make a living from it,” Aoife explained.

“We do it for the love of the bees, if you can make a living from it, that's a bonus.”

Aoife also asked that consumers to consider whether their honey has been produced by native Irish honeybees.

She says the majority of Irish beekeepers strive to keep the native Irish black honeybee, which is particularly well adapted to Ireland's climate.

According to Aoife, imported honeybees can pose a threat to the genetics of Ireland's native honeybee population through interbreeding.

“The native honeybee is extremely well adapted to our Irish climate,” she said.

She believes consumers should therefore ask questions about the honey they are buying, including whether it has been produced by native Irish honeybees.

The native Irish black honeybee has a particularly important place in Ireland.

“It's something for people to look for on the label of the honey, produced by native Irish honeybee,” she said.

She added that many beekeepers in South Tipperary, as well as a significant number in North Tipperary, continue to keep native Irish black honeybees.

Local honey from native Irish bees from Aoife’s farm can be found in stores in Clonmel, Cahir, Cashel and Tipperary Town.

She says again it’s important to support local honey producers as producing honey in an Irish climate can be challenging.

“It's not an easy thing to do,” she said. “It's a vocation, really. You do it for the love of it,” she concluded.