Latest News
2011 North American Beekeeping Conference & Tradeshow Registration Now Available
Register by September 30 and Save!
"Together for a Sweet Future" is the theme of the 2011 North American Beekeeping Conference & Tradeshow, January 4-8, 2011, in Galveston, Texas, and represents the joint effort of the American Beekeeping Federation, the American Honey Producers Association and the Canadian Honey Council to produce the largest and most innovative beekeeping conference in North America. This is an exciting opportunity to bring together beekeepers at all levels and from all over the country and beyond to share ideas and develop new contacts.
Taiwanese Honey Importer Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Evade U.S. Import Duties
Sentencing Expected in Late 2010
A Taiwanese executive of several honey import companies pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiring to avoid more than $5 million in U.S. anti-dumping duties by illegally importing Chinese-origin honey that was falsely identified as coming from South Korean, Taiwan, Thailand and India. This guilty plea is part of a large-scale investigation being conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
U.S. Honey Producers Disapprove Referendum
Only Forty-One Percent of Eligible Voters Favored Implementation
During a recent referendum conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, honey producers elected to disapprove a new national U.S Honey Producer Research, Promotion, and Consumer Information Order. The order failed because only 41 percent of those who voted – representing 52 percent of the volume of U.S. honey – favored its implementation.
USDA News & Notes
Bee Pastures May Help Pollinators Prosper
Wildflowers to Help in the Production of Healthy Young Bees
Beautiful wildflowers might someday be planted in "bee pastures," floral havens created as an efficient, practical, environmentally friendly, and economically sound way to produce successive generations of healthy young bees. The pesticide-free pastures could be simple to establish, and--at perhaps only a half-acre each--easy to tend, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
USDA Provides Emergency Assistance to Producers of Honeybees, Livestock and Farm-Raised Fish
More Than $6 Million to Compensate Beekeepers for 2008 Losses
Washington, D.C., June 30, 2010 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that disaster assistance will be issued starting today to livestock, honeybee and farm-raised fish producers that suffered losses in 2008 because of disease, adverse weather or other conditions. The aid will come from the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP).
Notice of Availability of a Draft Pest Risk Assessment on Honey Bees Imported from Australia
ABF Members Encouraged to Review and Provide Comment
A USDA-APHIS assessment of the risk the importation of Australian honey bees pose to U.S. honey bees is available for your study. The ABF encourages members to read the assessment and make their views known to APHIS. Directions on submitting comments can be found in the Federal Register notice. The stated deadline is May 14, 2010, but an APHIS official has said informally: "There will be no problem with us accepting your comments after the date listed in the Notice."
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