The Hidden Sting: Contradictions in the EU’s Push for Ukrainian Honey Imports

As the European Commission proposed a renewed trade agreement with Ukraine, allowing up to 35,000 tons of duty-free honey imports annually, questions are emerging about how this decision aligns with the EU’s broader commitments to supporting European beekeeping, food safety, and the EU’s internal market priorities. While the agreement is part of a broader effort to support the Ukrainian economy and is aligned with the Commission's will to facilitate Ukraine’s EU integration, its potential implications for the honey sector merit closer examination.In response to these concerns, BeeLife has actively supported its members network by providing a position letter and an alert, encouraging them to engage with their respective national ministries to raise awareness and promote a coordinated response.

Help Ukrainian Beekeepers. Protect EU Honey

The central contradiction is stark: how can the EU reconcile its stated commitment to protecting sensitive agricultural sectors, such as beekeeping, with a policy that accelerates the inflow of potentially untraceable, low-cost honey? The new quota represents a 583% increase over the 6,000-ton duty-free allowance introduced in the 2016 provisional agreement. This dramatic leap has been met with concern, particularly given the already precarious state of EU beekeeping, which suffers from rising costs, declining sales and unfair market competition. As reported in The European Honey Market Report: “The European honey market faces a crisis (...). In 2022, the EU produced only 60% of its honey needs (...). Many imported honey fails to meet EU quality standards, often due to mislabeling and added sugar syrups”. (Download of full document here).

This flood of imported honey not only drives down European prices but also casts serious doubt on the product’s authenticity and origin. The absence of an effective and fully transparent traceability system means that consumers might be exposed to honey of uncertain quality and origin.

Fraud Risks and Market Imbalance

The evidence of systemic vulnerability is mounting. The first half of 2024 saw an 85% spike in Ukrainian honey imports, with some Member States reporting increases of over 200%. With 54,000 tons imported in that six-month window, exceeding even pre-war levels, the credibility of these figures and the authenticity of the products is questionable.

This dynamic risks triggering long-term damage to European beekeeping; the sector is already under considerable pressure, with an ageing beekeeping population and growing difficulty in coping with multiple challenges. There is a tangible risk of further decline in a profession that provides essential environmental, cultural and societal services (pollination, safeguard of the ecological functions, attention to biodiversity prosperity and ecosystem).

Traceability Must Come First

Without a robust and enforceable traceability system to verify the origin of imported honey, expanding import quotas makes little economic or ethical sense. The EU must ensure that all honey entering the Union under preferential conditions is transparently tracked from hive to shelf. Anything less leaves the door wide open to fraud, and it’s worth asking what strategic rationale supports further tariff concessions in a context where the internal market already shows signs of imbalance and limited oversight.

Internal Production Ignored, External Imports Encouraged

The Ukraine deal is not an isolated case. Similar trade agreements with Mercosur and Mexico add additional duty-free quotas of 45,000 and 35,000 tons, respectively. While Manuka honey is a niche of its own and a market itself (characterised with significantly high prices), what about honey coming from Vietnam? Or India? And the many other sources quietly shaping a market that is increasingly difficult to regulate or control?

What’s also missing is a reliable aggregation of up-to-date data on honey production volumes across the EU. In the absence of regularly consolidated figures, decision-making risks relying on outdated or fragmented information. The European Honey Market Report, offers one of the few comprehensive insights into the current state of the honey market, highlighting the growing challenges faced by the sector.

Time for Strategic Clarity

The EU must act decisively to safeguard domestic beekeeping. Duty-free quotas should only be implemented when traceability is guaranteed. A general safeguard clause must be introduced—and made operational—for honey and other sensitive products. Most importantly, trade agreements must be evaluated not only on geopolitical expediency but on their coherence with the Union’s internal market integrity and sustainability goals.

Otherwise, Europe risks undermining the same sectors it claims to protect, one jar at a time.