National Honey Board
European Union Export Program Instructions
BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION
In June of 2003 the European Union banned imports of honey from the United States into E.U. member countries. Although there is not a demonstrable issue with U.S. honey quality, there exist differences in the regulatory approach taken by the European Union and the United States in guaranteeing product purity.
Concerned about both the trade barrier itself and the potential “black-eye” given to the long-standing positive reputation for quality that U.S. honey enjoys worldwide, the U.S. honey industry, the National Honey Board and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration crafted a proposal to demonstrate and assure the purity of U.S. domestic honey to the European Community.
In late September 2004, the European Commission accepted the proposal and re-listed the United States as a third country eligible to export honey to the European Union (Click here to view the official GAIN Report).
Program Requirements
Under the program, companies must adhere to specific requirements for each shipment destined to a European Union member country. In general, these requirements include:
- Obtaining a binding
Producer Purity Certification on a per contract or per
crop year basis
- Instructions
- Certification form - per contract (PDF file)
- Certification
form - per crop year (PDF file)
- Adhering to the Batch Control and documentation procedures
- Providing testing and residue data and documentation for
each shipment per the
sampling and testing protocol described
- Use one of two testing laboratories authorized
- Testing lab contact information - Applica GmbH
- Testing
lab contact information - Quality Services International GmbH
- Provide Sanitary Certificate and Certificate of Origin for each shipment