Maria Yaroshko, team leader in the Reform Support Team at Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture, spoke about this.
“The main change concerns honey blends: now, the label must list all countries of origin of the honey, specifying their proportion in the product. The countries must be listed in descending order of their proportion in the blend. This approach is intended to provide greater transparency for consumers and strengthen the fight against product counterfeiting,” the expert explained.
The new rules also provide for:
- improving the system for verifying honey authenticity and detecting sugar adulteration;
- the establishment of uniform approaches to the traceability of honey’s origin;
- the establishment of a special HoneyPlatform under the European Commission with the participation of member states, scientists, laboratories, industry representatives, and civil society;
- the potential creation of a pan-European traceability system for honey, from the beekeeper or importer to the end consumer.
Beekeeping remains an important component of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Starting in 2023, support for the sector will be provided through national CAP strategic plans, which include a wide range of measures: training and workshops, combating bee diseases, restoring apiaries, supporting laboratories, scientific research, product marketing, and improving product quality. The annual budget for beekeeping support in the EU has been increased from €40 million to €60 million, and member states may provide additional co-financing for such measures of up to 70%.
