Benefits of Organic Honey Certification

Benefits of Organic Honey Certification


Increasing number of farmers, all over the world, are shifting to organic farming as it provides numerous benefits over conventional farming. Honey bee keepers are also favoring organic honey production as it is considered to have numerous benefits over conventional honey.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries, Australia provides the pros and cons of becoming a certified organic honey bee keeper in the document 'Organic Certified Production with Bees'.

Pros of organic honey production
Some of the advantages of organic honey production to the manufacturer are given below:

• Increased price of honey: Organic honey and organic raw honey both fetch a higher price in the market as compared to conventional honey.
• Increased marketability: It is easier to sell organic honey and raw organic honey as they are considered to have greater health benefits over non-organic honey. Reports of increased usage of antibiotics in Chinese honey have increased awareness about potential ill-effects of non-organic honey among health conscious consumers.
• Qualtiy honey assurance for buyers: Customers are assured of a quality product as the production and handling standards for organic honey are clearly defined by the certifying body. If the honey is not manufactured according to the set guidelines, the organic label is not granted.
• Satisfaction of producing a clean product: Many farmers shift to organic farming due to its benefits to the environment. Same is the case with organic apiculture. Organic honey bee keepers feel content at the end of the day when they do not use chemical pesticides and antibiotics.
• Every organic honey jar can be traced: Certified organic honey involves proper labeling of the product. Every organic honey jar can be traced to the honey bee hive from which the honey in it is obtained.
• Increased management awareness of the enterprise: Many conventional honey bee keepers are not aware of effective techniques to manage their apiaries. Since certified organic honey production involves following stringent guidelines, manufacturers are also educated about efficient management of their enterprise.

Cons of organic honey production
There are some disadvantages of organic honey production. Some of these disadvantages include the following:

• Availability of suitable apiary sites: It is difficult to get suitable apiary sites that favor the organic honey standards in all seasons.
• Limitation on disease management practices: Organic honey does not involve wide usage of antibiotics. Hence disease management is restricted.
• Limitation on feeding management practices: An organic honey bee keeper has to ensure that there is no non-organic farm in the vicinity of his honey bee hives. Further, there are other restrictions on the feeding practices.
• Transition cost and time: A conventional honey bee keeper cannot shift to organic honey production all of a sudden. As in case of organic milk production, there is transition time and cost involved in shifting to organic honey production as well. There is also one year probation period in some countries such as Australia before becoming a certified organic honey manufacturer.
• Other costs: Organic honey production also involves other costs such as cost of joining the certifying body, cost of certification, auditing cost, sampling cost, etc.
• Increased record keeping: Organic honey involves keeping detailed records throughout the manufacturing, processing and retailing processes.