Archived press release

Consumers reject GM honey

20 September 2002

The British Beekeepers Association currently advises members to ensure that their hives are at least 6 miles from the nearest GM test sites to avoid GM contamination. The BBKA publishes details of trial sites on its web. Honey bees are often moved around the countryside to provide vital pollination services for fruit growers. The value of this service is put at £200 million. Last week the Scottish Beekeepers Association called for a moratorium on open air planting of GM crops [4].

This week’s discovery of GM contaminated honey is not an isolated example that BBKA precautions are well founded.

• In 1999, monitoring of pollen collection by honey bees near a GM farm scale trial in Oxfordshire found that bees had travelled nearly three miles (4.5km) to collect pollen from a crop of GM spring oilseed rape [5].
• In 2000, retail samples of honey purchased in England and Austria were found to contain GM pollen [6].

The latest survey results are similar to previous GM polls carried out by NOP for Friends of the Earth. In 1998, 58% of consumers said “no” to GM material in supermarket food. In 2000, 63% of consumers support GM-free animal feed for the production of dairy products, eggs and meat.

Pete Riley, GM campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said:
“These results clearly show that the public does not want GM material in their honey. Beekeepers must continue to maintain their precautions against GM contamination. But they must also tell the Government and biotech industry that plans to commercialise GM crops in the UK are a threat to honey producers and are totally unacceptable.”

Roger Holby, a beekeeper from Gloucestershire, said:
“The results of this poll confirm what most beekeepers already know. Consumers want their honey to be GM-free. Bee hives are already moved six miles from any GM test sites to reduce the risk of contamination – and the beekeepers foot the bill for this. Why is it that the biotech companies, who cause the problem, escape scott-free? If GM seeds are commercialised customers will either have to accept GM contamination, or bee keepers in this country will be out of a job.”

Notes

1. The poll of 1000 people over the age of 15 was carried out by NOP World by telephone from 30th August to 1st September 2002. The poll found that 63% of households that regularly buy honey (at least 4 times per year) did not want it to contain GM pollen. Less than a fifth of regularly honey consumers would accept GM pollen in their honey. Overall 56% of people wanted honey to be GM-free.

2. The GM material that the Sunday Times reported that it had found came from honey from hives at Newport-on-Tay in Fife, Scotland, almost two miles from one of 18 sites conducting trials of GM oil-seed rape

3. The British Beekeepers Association is holding its one day workshop and conference on ‘GM crops, Beekeeping and the Honey Industry’ at Stoneleigh in Surrey. www.bbka.org.uk

4. Last week the Scottish Beekeepers Association issued the following statement: “As a result of the request by the Executive Committee for Local Association views on the GM crop issue and a vote taken by the Executive Committee at the 14th September 2002 Executive Meeting at Perth, the following official Scottish Beekeepers' Association Policy on GM crops was agreed: - The Scottish Beekeepers’ Association have determined that in the absence of all available documented scientific evidence that GM Crops are safe to humans and the environment there must be a moratorium on all open air planting or commercialisation of all GM crops. We consider that it is the responsibility of Government to protect both beekeepers and consumers from being adversely affected by exposure to GM contamination which, to do otherwise we consider would contravene our Human Rights. “

5. In 1999, an independent bee consultant Sarah Brookes collected pollen from bees foraging near a GM spring oilseed rape (an Aventis (now Bayer) variety) farm scale trial near Watlington in Oxfordshire. Bees at the furthest hive from the GM field (4.5km) were found to have collected GM pollen.

6. GM pollen from Monsanto’s GM oilseed rape was found in samples of Canadian honey on sale in June 2000. GM pollen from Aventis’ (now Bayer) GM oilseed rape was found in honey purchased from retailers close to GM test sites in England.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust