Suspected fraud in the packaging of honey.

DECLINE THAT CHINA USES PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCTS PROHIBITED IN EUROPE.

The agrarian organization AVA-ASAJA, has reported that Spanish purchases of honey of Chinese origin “they broke records” in 2010 and they reached the figure of 11.327 tons. “This consolidates the Asian giant as the first supplier of the packaging industries, with the 86,5 % of the important non-community honey”.

This record is equivalent to “more than a third of the average Spanish production in recent years, stabilized between 30.000 and 33.000 tons”.

For this reason, The organization calls on Health to investigate whether the processing companies “They are mixing the national product with the Asian without the mandatory labeling, In order to reduce costs and be able to place the honey at a significantly lower price, but without the proper traceability and sanitary guarantees”.

The president of AVA-ASAJA, Cristóbal Aguado, has denounced that China “not only practices unfair price competition, but also their beekeepers benefit from ‘dumping’ environmental and phytosanitary, by not having restrictions regarding the use of products that are prohibited in the EU due to their toxicity”.

“Thus, Spanish operators seem to seek to curb the rise in prices at the origin of honey, that in recent dates is experiencing a certain rebound”, added.

According to AVA-ASAJA, a kilo of national honey is paid between 2,6 and 3,2 EUR, while the Asian already placed in the Spanish market does not exceed 1,6 EUR.

AVA-ASAJA recalls that the European Commission (CE) was forced to ban for almost two years (2003 and 2004) imports of Chinese honeys due to the constant problems of the presence of residues of banned antibiotics in the EU.

After that veto, the community executive left in the hands of the Chinese authorities the controls and the issuance of the new certificates to prove the security of their shipments, according to the organization.