The Food Programme

Sunday 18 September
12:30pm - 12:57pm
BBC Radio 4

Sheila Dillon takes a look behind the scenes of the honey industry.

Thank you will tune in

Its on at the same time as the moto gp. Tv and radio programs are like buses

Very interesting - thanks to the recent EU case about GM contamination, any honey found to be contaminated can't be sold - so where does that put beekeepers within range of the GM frankencrap crop trial recently announced for next year at Rothamstead (and other trials at Leeds Uni and the John Innes Centre)?

Brosville said:

Very interesting - thanks to the recent EU case about GM contamination, any honey found to be contaminated can't be sold - so where does that put beekeepers within range of the GM frankencrap crop trial recently announced for next year at Rothamstead (and other trials at Leeds Uni and the John Innes Centre)?

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Have to just dump it won't they,perhaps the EU will bring in a subsidy to pay beekeepers for dumping honey.

And sue the bejaysus out of the institutions doing it..........

It said gm crops not licensed for the eu not all gm crops

GM contamination is contamination, whatever it's "approval status", and will wreck any honey-producer's business as the public don't want the damn stuff - it will also mean that any organic crops within "drift distance" will no longer be truly organic, so............

It's one of the biggest arguments about not allowing it's release - it removes people's ability to choose NOT to have their food contaminated by the muck - but thanks to the terrific pressure from the US the bunch of shifty spivs in government will allow it......... Kerrrrching!

So what about imported honey,will we be waving goodbye to most of that as well.

Hivemaker. said:

So what about imported honey,will we be waving goodbye to most of that as well.

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Must have mis-heard the Rowse rep' say that they had honey from China and India early in the prog followed later on that it's banned in the EU/UK by one of the other contributors. Was this before the ban or can they import and if found to be "clear" of contaminants it's okay to use?

Besides the GM issue, there's also the fake honey/sugar syrup, synthetic honey, antibiotics etc.

Available on iPlayer now The Food Programme on Honey

Related bits

Russel said:

Available on iPlayer now The Food Programme on Honey

Related bits

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cant believe they just store it outside like that. is that normal practice? do the british bee farmers store their honey outside to? or is it just the quality of the honey rouse import is so poor it is not worth storing inside?

dpearce4 said:

cant believe they just store it outside like that. is that normal practice? do the british bee farmers store their honey outside to? or is it just the quality of the honey rouse import is so poor it is not worth storing inside?

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just look at the AFB reports for the last 10 years and that should tell you.....they do...and they leak

i have one of my hives within 3 miles of Rothamsted farm,,,i was thinking of moving next year it, now i definitely will

As long as you've tightened the seal properly it's okay.

MuswellMetro said:

just look at the AFB reports for the last 10 years and that should tell you.....they do...and they leak

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The problem is actually what they do with them afterwards i.e. the dregs. When I was there we saw quite a cloud of insects on the empty containers awaiting "bio-secure" disposal.

i could dispose of 1, need a new bbq for work.

how much honey does 1 hold?

300kg.
Rowse won't release used drums. They all get crushed and recycled in an effort to prevent spread of foulbrood.

You can buy brand new drums for around £35 or old ones on fleabay for around £10.

There's an eb@y seller not far from me that sells 25kg poly buckets that have been used to transport honey from South Africa to a local processing plant, I've no idea where or who they are but assume they are cleaned before sale to the trader. Item number: 250890629411.

Cheers Brosville, got it on listen again, most informative...

....most residues are not from crops but from substances used by bee keepers...

....not exactly surprising really.

Authorised GM crops is a bit vague because AFAIK only GM crops for non human consumption are grown in the EU, animal feeds, industrial uses and so on. GM maize is grown here and it is supposed to be made clear...but....

Chris

Chris Luck said:

Cheers Brosville, got it on listen again, most informative...

....most residues are not from crops but from substances used by bee keepers...

....not exactly surprising really.

Authorised GM crops is a bit vague because AFAIK only GM crops for non human consumption are grown in the EU, animal feeds, industrial uses and so on. GM maize is grown here and it is supposed to be made clear...but....

Chris

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Isn't that a contradiction or are those animals not in the food chain?