Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to thank the committee for allowing me the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Canadian honey industry, and I'll do my best to answer any questions you may have.
I feel I should provide some background as to my involvement in agriculture. I am from Stony Plain, which is just west of Edmonton. I operate a 2,000-hive commercial apiary alongside my parents, and we are solely structured for honey production. I have been working on the farm for the past 19 years, of which the past 13 have been full-time involvement. We have just begun our spring management of the bees, and we are looking at around 30% to 40% winter-kill this year. This is higher than our normal 10% to 15% winter-kill average.
I have sat on the Alberta Beekeepers Commission board for the last five years, and I am currently in my first term as vice-president. I am currently in my first year on the board of directors for the Wild Rose Agricultural Producers, and I have been a member of the Canadian Young Farmers Forum for the past three years.
Canada has a progressive beekeeping industry. In Canada there are about 8,000 beekeepers who keep around 600,000 bee colonies. Approximately 1,800 commercial beekeepers keep 80% of these colonies. Statistics Canada reports that the total Canadian honey production is on average 80 million pounds per year. The value of honey and honey products, including pollination fees, is over $100 million per year. Alberta accounts for more than 40% of the bee colonies in the nation's honey production. Honeybees are known for the valuable services they provide to Canadian agriculture. They pollinate apple, hybrid canola, berries, and hundreds of other crops. The value of honeybee contributions to crop pollination exceeds $1.5 billion per year.
Canadian honey is known for its high quality around the world. Canada exports 40% to 70% of its honey to the United States, Japan, and Germany.
The apiculture sector, like many other agricultural sectors, has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. The most obvious challenges have been long-term declines in honey prices, declining bee health, high standards for production to meet consumer's expectations, and intense competition from low-cost producing countries.
The recent reported honeybee kill is 30% per year over the past three years. Can you imagine the impact that 30% of our bees dying annually has had on honey production, crop pollination, and the sustainability of the industry as a whole?
When it comes to the impact of competition our industry faces, there are many key points that need to be mentioned. There has been a drastic increase in the cost of production of honey in Canada. Producers are being forced to improve their honey production and processing methods and systems, yet they are seeing little to no price increase for their safe Canadian honey, compared to imported honey, which does not have to meet the same standards. The return on investment for beekeepers is decreasing. Very few young farmers are attracted to invest and become beekeepers. The sustainability of the beekeeping industry has come into question over the past few years.
There has been a great deal of discussion within the Canadian honey industry about what can be done to solve these issues. Risk management in agriculture can protect farmers' incomes from uncontrolled risks in farming, such as climate, pests, and market decline. Training can be provided to address food safety and best management practices to keep up with the pace of change and assist farmers to enhance their profitability. Food safety would be improved by moving towards mandatory registration for all producers of honey in Canada with CFIA. With this, we are ensuring that the Canadian supply of honey is safe and has full traceability if there is an issue. Currently, it is a voluntary program, but our industry has been discussing the advantages of making it compulsory. As has been explained to us, if we have mandatory standards in Canada, then those same standards can be applied to all imported honey.
There needs to be enforcement of fair trade with honey coming into Canada. Honey being imported into Canada should be produced under similar restrictions as are applied to Canadian beekeepers, and quality should be tested to ensure safety and that no adulteration has taken place. Examples of this are honey labelled as “syrup blend”, “sweetener”, or “sweetening agent”. There needs to be better control of this.
There are many advantages and disadvantages in current Canadian honey products compared to foreign competitors. Some of the disadvantages are that the cost of production of honey is higher in Canada than other regions that are exporting to Canada, and conditions required for on-farm food safety production processes are applied to Canadian farmers but not to farmers from other export countries. For example, imported honey does not have to meet the same standards when it is shipped into Canada.
Among the advantages is that the Canadian honey industry is working hard on its food safety program, which will make it a leader in the food safety standards of honey. Also, CFIA's honey program has been a tremendous help to our industry, assisting us with our quality and food safety, as well as assisting us in our export market access. Although applying these standards will increase the cost of production, pricing does not compensate for efforts put on production of quality products. Another advantage is that Canada is known worldwide for having honey that is safe and of high quality.
There are specific regulations that are both beneficial and detrimental to the competitiveness of Canadian honey products. Examples of some beneficial regulations are that foreign worker programs have literally saved our industry, as extremely few Canadian workers want to work with bees; new labelling regulations are very beneficial, but they need to be implemented and strongly enforced; on-farm food safety regulations and CFIA's involvement with our industry is of great benefit to us; and the review of agriculture pesticides regulations and harmonization within North America.
Some of the detrimental regulations--or lack thereof--are fair trade regulations and subsidy programs in the United States and other countries.
I can also list some solutions that could improve farmers' and industries' competitiveness, including but not limited to improving market access, changing regulations, branding products, etc.
First, improve pest control tools to reduce winter kill, and reduce cost of production to maintain industry sustainability and competitiveness.
Ensure that PMRA regulations will provide needed registration of miticides in reasonable time to improve beekeeping practices and honey bee health.
There should be mandatory CFIA registration for all Canadian honey producers.
Implementation of new labelling regulations is needed to keep the grade designation. Only 100% Canadian honey can be graded as Canada Grade 1, 2, and 3. Import or blending product is labelled as simply Grade 1, 2, or 3.
Improve the surveillance program to ensure that products meet the label specifications and preserve the Canadian quality of Canadian honey. There is a difference in quality between Canadian and imported honey. Imported honey being marketed as, or with, Canadian honey, without proper labelling, is a falsehood for Canadian consumers.
Negotiate international trade and imports of products based on a balanced perspective considering on-farm food safety, production conditions, and labour cost.
Enforce existing trade rules more firmly on importers and exporters.
Finally, support research capacity to improve production and help reduce the cost of production--for example, hive health.
Thank you.