UK Shortage of Honey

Are you a honey producer? You can help fill in the shortage; yet make sure your honey is really an organic honey.

Here is a article from BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1870976.stm

There is a UK-wide shortage of honey after a ban on the sale of Chinese supplies because of health fears.

An EU-wide ban on honey from China followed concern about the lack of controls on the use of veterinary medicines.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) called for the withdrawal from sale of all jars of Chinese and blended honey last month.

Tests had revealed traces of an antibiotic called chloramphenicol in 10 out of 16 samples.

A team of independent scientific experts said there was only an extremely small risk to the consumer, but in larger doses chloramphenicol can cause cancer.

It is estimated that between a third and a half of all blended honey on sale in the UK comes from China. Approximately 80% of honey consumed in the UK is blended.

Another big honey supplier is New Zealand, whose bee population has been plagued by an outbreak of blood-sucking mites.

Along with Australia, it supplied 8.5% of imports before the ban on Chinese honey and it had been hoped it could make up the shortfall.

Mexico, Spain and Canada are now among the likely sources of extra supplies, the Honey Association said.

A spokesman said: "There is honey available out there but it will take time to arrive."

It is unlikely British honey producers will be able to take up all of the slack.

Well I just hope producers of honey should really help in the health consciousness of the people and not just go for how much money they can take from the honey they made.