On 19-Feb-06, at 6:13 PM, Herve Abeille wrote:

> My point is simple: Why can't you sell your honey without saying your
> neighbor's honey is crap? Especially when he is following all the  
> rules,
> which are designed to ensure that honey is not contaminated.


Hi Herve and all

My neighbour is a large beekeeper(500 hives not organic).  I am small 
(16 hives not organic).  He sells his honey in barrels for less than  
$1 per pound.  I sell mine retail  for over $4 per  pound to people  
who drive out into the country to get fresh pure produce.  He uses  
fume boards, I use bee escapes.  We both follow the rules, but my  
honey has no residuals of fume board chemicals.  Is my honey not  
better (every thing else being equal)?  His honey is blended with  
foreign honey and sold in the supermarket for roughly the same price  
as mine.  There are many reasons why some people will go out of their  
way to buy local produce, why not give them what they want.  I know  
it is simplistic of me to say that my neighbour could produce the  
same income with 25% of his hives if he sold it in my market, but  
that market is driving past his lane to get to mine.

Bob Darrell
Caledon Ontario
Canada
80W44N

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