Looks like the question what is organic is much more difficult in USA than 
in EU

EU made common basic rules for organic production many years ago. From my 
opinion customers trust in them, and value organich honey for better price. 
10 - 25 % higher price.

The word organic can not appear in any way in the labes if the production 
has not followed the rules. There is also a special visual lable for all 
organic products.

As far as I understand the imported organic honey from outside EU must have 
been produced according the same rules.

The most important  rules are:

Feeding mainly by organic  honey. Organic sugar only allowed for special 
reasons.
No synthetic varroa micticides ( kumafoss, fluvalinates).
No antibiotics allowed.
For varroa oxalic and formic acids, and  thymol ok.
Wooden boxes, excluders ok Screened bottom board ok.
Foundations can be used from organic wax
Artificial insamination ok, wing clipping of quees not.
Pollen or supplement feeding not allowed. Hives should be placed so that 
they can collect the pollen they need
Area within 3 km of apiarys mostly forest, or oganic farmed or farmed by 
limited fertilization.
Area with in 6 km of hives can not have sugar mills, garbage dumps or other 
places that could danger the products.
Records of all apiaries, all hives and their movements, all work done with 
bees, about medications and feeding, amounts of honey  extracted and sold.
Inspectons by state officilas at least once a year. Beekeepers pays the 
inspections.
After starting the organic way beekeeper must follow the rules one year 
before the honey can be sold as organic.

I am now in the end of this first year. The honey I extract in July will be 
the first that I can sell as organic. Don't know yet if I get so much better 
price for it that it will cover all paperwork and other expences, but hope 
it will.

I am not saying that I think all the rules are logical and I would think 
that they are good. But the fact is that they are the rules, and that is the 
only way to produce organicly  here. Reading this discussion has made me 
realize that one set of rules is a very good thing for beekeepers in EU. Now 
there is no unfair labelling by beekeepers who think organic demands are 
less than what neighbour beekeepers does.

Ari Seppälä
Finland

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