Here is my take on the Texas "honey laws". 

Prior to this NEW law that was just signed I think any beekeeper who just wanted to sell their own raw honey at a farmers market or their own farm stand would have had a pretty good argument that under the Texas AG code all they were doing was selling a SAFE RAW agricultural product direct to consumers and were therefore doing nothing "illegal" nor would they have needed a manufacturers license because they were simply putting a raw ag product into a logical container to hold it and selling it, the same way a potato farmer or tomato farmer, etc puts their products into bags or bushels, etc. (This is MY opinion and interpretation)

If I put my honey in a jar and add pecans to it, I could legally sell it as "pecan pie in a bottle" UNDER cottage food laws and be protected that way. (which is silly, in my opinion)

The word HONEY wasn't even IN the AG code or the state food manufacturer's code or the cottage food bill. (other than in definitions and in the part that talks about adulteration) 

But NOW honey WILL be added and VERY specific RULES will apply to certain "smaller producers".  Now they WILL have something they can "catch" you doing wrong.

BUT either way you have interpreted the "laws" about selling honey in the past or in the future, there has never been much monitoring of person to person honey sales at your farm or farmer market sales of honey direct to consumers, nor has there been the staffing of "honey police" to do that monitoring.  There still ISN'T. (which I think means not much will change, at least not on the surface)

But here are the big things I have a problem with, because ALL the focus was aimed at "small beekeepers" who more than likely haven't really been doing anything wrong in the first place AND for whom presumably they aren't "really changing" anything for anyways, right?  (smoke and mirrors)

What they SHOULD have been doing in TEXAS, in MY opinion is:

Regulating the BIG producers, monitoring the BIG producers, and limiting the BIG producers.  Now before you get defensive, let me tell you what I mean.

So how come if I am a "little producer" I have to ONLY sell from my farm or in a farmers market, ONLY.  But if I have a "licensed facility" I can sell ANYWHERE including in EVERY FARMERS MARKET in town and my home farm and every grocery store and online, etc. etc . (to the point of pushing the little guys out of the farmers markets because only 1 honey vendor is allowed to be there or their prices are so low, it's hard to compete)

And if I am a "little producer" only I or my immediate family members can sell the honey.  But if I have a "licensed facility" I can have ANYONE sell my honey for me, anywhere.

If I am a "little producer", I can ONLY sell honey from beehives I both OWN AND MANAGE.  But if I have a "licensed facility" I can sell anybody's honey I get from ANYWHERE including OTHER COUNTRIES???? (and pretend it's local texas honey, no questions asked, and don't have to put on the bottle anything more than where its packaged) - WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

My argument was if they are going to be limiting (corralling) the small producers so much, then how keeping BIG producers OUT of the farmers markets or at LEAST making them follow the same rules we have to in order to be there.  (only our hives and only the beekeeper and immediate family selling the product)  It okay to keep us out of grocery stores (RETAIL) I have no problem with that, but then keep farmer markets OPEN for the little guys!

I get how this "system" works. It's not about FAIR, that I can guarantee.  My LICENSED honey house will be completed soon, and it didn't cost me but only a few hundred dollars and it's going to be AFFORDABLE and available to ALL the small beekeepers and then WE ALL WILL be able to SELL our honey EVERYWHERE, too.  WATCH OUT BIG GUYS!  You started this turf war!  Here we come! :) 
2 can play this game.

Why on earth is it LEGAL to sell honey from ANOTHER COUNTRY without having to PUT THAT on the label?????? I can't simply NOT understand that?  THAT should be illegal.  It should AT LEAST have to say what state and what country the honey came from.  My goodness, is that REALLY asking too much from YOU BIG GUYS????
    

Tanya Phillips, Journeyman Beekeeper
9874 Wier Loop Circle
Austin, TX 78736
512-560-3732 cell
www.BeeFriendlyAustin.com
www.TourdeHives.org
www.TravisCountyBeekeepers.org 

Saving the world, one bee at a time! ☺

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