After a disastrous year for honey, British beekeepers are questioning why more EU and government money is not reaching them when funds allocated to countries such as Hungary and Romania has contributed to a significant rise in production the past decade.
The British Beekeepers Association recently announced a 72 percent drop in honey production this year, due to bad weather. A recent survey, by the Bee Farmer’s Association revealed production had halved in 2012, equating to a loss of £7m for the UK industry.
Commercial beekeepers, like James Hamill of the Hive Honey Shop in South London, believe EU funding could improve productivity, as it has elsewhere in Europe.
“We would like to see government funding paid directly to beekeepers, not research firms, not charities, not universities, but directly to anyone that takes and maintains a hive,” Mr Hamill said.
Beekeepers in Romania, who already receive direct funding from Europe, have doubled their bee colonies over the past decade. Between 2000 and 2010 the country produced 24, 700 tons of honey. Romanian beekeepers have been promised further EU funding until the end of 2014. The country will receive 3.4 million euros by the end of 2012 with the same for 2013.
