T & M Weatherhead wrote:

> Most definitely and it would be good to have China on a "level playing
> field".  We are now having to put in QA programs and get our premises "up to
> standard" and keep the associated paperwork.  What is happening in China?
> We see all the photos coming out from people who have been there of
> beekeepers extracting in tents with dirt floors etc.
>
> Government's don't want to make sure that all imports are on that "level
> playing field" but we have to jump through hoops to conform.

This is actually the key to the whole discussion. What are the
safeguards in the sending country? There should be as much concern on
the part of the sending country as to the quality of their exports as
the importing country. There cannot be 100% inspection so there will be
exceptions, but if a country continues to be found out, then there might
be concern as to that country's QA or dedication to quality. It does not
start at the border but in the rules and regulations governing the industry.

It does not matter if it is in ppm or ppb. Why is it there in the first
place?

As far as China, there are troubling signs, not just in beekeeping but
in more dangerous practices with animals and humans. There appears to be
little control over the antibiotics used for treating animals (and, it
seems, bees).

South China is a hotbed of new and interesting viruses infecting animals
and humans. SARS is the latest, but Swine flu, Hong Kong flu and many
others have spread world wide from that incubation location. It is true
that there are many other factors that lead to that (density of people,
poultry and pigs), but SARS seems to fit the profile of misused
antibiotics. It might not be, but based on what is being found in honey
and other food coming out of China, the mis-use of antibiotics seems to
be cultural and either not a problem of or encouraged by the government.

And that is scary, not just for beekeepers but for the world's population.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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