Peter, I am a member of the National Administration Committee for the SPMF (Synidicat des Producteurs de Miel de France) and V.P.for the Centre Region of France. The charge for membership is approx. 1200 FF/year Members are beekeepers who depend on Beekeeping as a major part of their income. The Union is very active in promoting honey, protecting against honey adulteration, working on European/Codex matters, trying to protect bees and beekeeping from constant pesticide application( present day problem-Imidaclopride as found in the formulation "Gaucho" produced by Bayer),European funding and many things that occupy a union. It is relatively expensive to be a member but real work requires time,effort and people- that requires money! (Information about the above may easily be viewed by logging on to "Apiservices" on the net.) The Union produces a bulletin once every 2 months for its members. The members are grouped on a Regional basis, each having its own manner and activities. There is also a County network of associations that are there primarily to discuss Bee hygiene matters - Groupement Défence Sanitaire Apicole costing approx 70 FF/year. Difficult to cut short the description of a relatively complex organisation- hope the info. is useful Regards Peter