Government Fighting for Fair Competition Conditions for Beekeepers

For the export-oriented Hungarian honey sector and the livelihood of beekeepers, it is a key issue that the prevailing unfair conditions of competition on European markets should be leveled out again between honey products produced within the EU and those produced outside the EU, said the State Secretary for Agriculture and Rural Development of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Zsolt Feldman explained that two thirds of the 15-30 thousand tons of domestic honey production is exported to Western Europe, hence it is very important to have fair competition conditions on the EU market. These are not ensured today, with Hungarian beekeepers exporting 10-20 thousand tonnes of honey a year competing with 160-190 thousand tonnes of imports from third countries outside Europe.

Extremely cheap counterfeit Asian products and Ukrainian honey are squeezing Hungarian honey out of export markets, driving down domestic sales prices.

The European economy’s weakness is being felt in EU honey consumption, and demand for lower-quality and cheaper honey blends has increased, the State Secretary said.

“The most important task is therefore to continue the work that is forcing European decision-makers to protect European honey production and European honey consumers by creating concrete EU rules. An important element of this work is that the National Hungarian Bee-keeping Association (OMME), together with 14 organizations from 11 EU Member States, has lodged an anti-dumping complaint against honey coming into the European Union from China.”

The State Secretary stressed that the EU honey labeling rules will be changed on the initiative of Hungary, and that

from 2026 at the latest, the country of origin of all honey mixtures must be indicated on the packaging of honey mixtures in all EU countries, with the percentage of the mixture.

The role of the support programs launched in recent years has been enhanced by the market difficulties faced by beekeepers, he said. Between 2023 and 2027, the sector will receive around HUF 15.6 billion (EUR 40 million) in targeted support, including Hungarian budget funding. Hungary is the first country in the EU to introduce animal welfare support for beekeepers, amounting to EUR 15 per hive per year, thus helping to maintain healthy bee populations and the beekeeping sector. In addition, for the past 5 years, Hungarian beekeepers have been receiving a so-called bee health subsidy of HUF 1,000 (EUR 2.51) per hive per year for every 1 million hives.