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Date: | Mon, 27 Mar 2006 09:57:16 -0500 |
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mark berninghausen wrote:
> So, if you want some of the ORGANIC market, produce ORGANIC Honey and
> bottle it yourself or sell it to a packer who will.
The issue here is not making organic honey but "What is organic honey?".
The problem is that there are no organic honey standards. Organic honey,
currently, only needs to meet the minimum USDA standards. The problem
with the US organic law is that it is almost exclusively directed at
organic farms and the produce and livestock on those farms. The law
spells that out well, but the States are the ones who certify the farms.
Since there are no national honey standards, there is a wide spread of
opinion on just what "organic honey" really is from State to State.
If all you need is State certification that you operate an organic farm,
which I do (but not certified), from there it all depends on what the
individual State's criteria is for honey, if there even is a standard.
If none, you could call your honey organic and be within the law, just
because it came form an organic farm.
Right now, my guess is that much so-called organic honey does not even
meet the law's requirements. Honey is so far beneath the radar, that it
will take a bit for bad guys to get caught, especially since standards
can vary from state to state. I do not know what the standards are in
Maine, and I doubt if many here know what they are in their own State.
Which is why a national standard is necessary. But what is in that
standard is the sticking point.
Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and other info ---
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