Regulatory changes for honey exports to the EU: 67 partner countries interested in AGRINFO information

In November 20-24, AGRINFO organised three webinars to present a new guide developed by the programme on the regulations governing the export of honey to the European Union. This outlines a number of recent regulatory changes affecting countries wishing to export honey to the EU.

The webinars were organized on a regional basis and included:

• 25 November: Session in French for African countries
• 26 November: English session for ACP countries
• 27 November: Session in English for Asian, Pacific and Central European countries.

A session in Spanish for the Caribbean and Latin America is planned for early 2025.

The webinars focused on :

• the EU honey market
• the five key regulatory areas covering exports of honey to the EU, with details of recent changes and timeframes. Participants were encouraged to subscribe to the AGRINFO to ensure that they remain up-to-date with any future amendments.

Participation

These three events were well received with 394 registrations from 67 countries and 258 participants. Thirty of these countries are not yet authorised to export honey to the EU and additional information is being provided on request to assist them countries in their compliance procedures.

On 25 November there was considerable interest from Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Togo and Morocco, notably on the issue of food safety and the registration of export establishments. On 26 November Egypt, Kenya and South Africa discussed in particular the process for their countries to be added to the list of approved exporters. Finally, on 27 November, several Pacific countries joined the webinar as well as Armenia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Pakistan, Moldova and Ukraine. Questions mainly concerned the new legislation on the use of antibiotics and products made with honey.

Follow-up actions

• Armenia: A dedicated webinar was organised on 4 December with translation into Armenian.
• Morocco: A meeting was held on 3 December with the Moroccan export agency to make better use of AGRINFO services.
• Ethiopia: On 13 December, a training session was organised for the Ethiopian authorities on the use of TRACES, in particular for the listing of establishments.

The recording of the 26 th November session is available HERE

The Guidance “Exporting Honey to the European Union” is available HERE

The Guidance is also available in French and Spanish

These activities were supported by the AGRINFO programme.
The AGRINFO programme is implemented by COLEAD and funded by the European Union (EU).
This communication has been produced with the financial support of the EU. Its contents are the sole responsibility of COLEAD and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the EU.