Wednesday 9 June 2010

CATCH THE BUZZ - Schumer Blasts Chinese Honey Laundering

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CATCH THE BUZZ

 

 Sen. Schumer Slams China For ‘Honey Laundering’

By Paul Bedard, Editor, Washington Whispers, U.S. News and World Report

 

 Concerns that China is dumping contaminated honey into the U.S. market, often laundered through third countries to avoid stiff anti-dumping tariffs, was raised in Congress today before a commission tasked with reviewing the 10-year-old deal to give the communist nation permanent normal trade relations (PNTR).

 “Even our honey industry is under siege from imports of Chinese-origin honey,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York. “Ongoing schemes by Chinese exporters to circumvent U.S. anti-dumping, food labeling and food safety laws, threaten the continued health of the U.S. honey industry and by extension the health of agricultural industries.”

 Schumer said that China is guilty of violating anti-dumping laws, is running honey through several other countries then into the United States to avoid tariffs, and is even shipping honey contaminated with antibiotics.

 “It’s just an indication of what China is doing to flaunt our laws,” the Democrat told the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The commission is tasked with monitoring and reporting on the successes and failures of the 2000 preferred trade status former President Clinton and the Senate granted to China amid claims it would open China’s doors to American businesses.

 Schumer and three other senators -- Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown, Michigan Democrat Debbie Stabenow and South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham -- all blasted the 2000 deal as hollow and one that has instead robbed over 2 million jobs and led to the closure of firms that can’t compete with Chinese exports.

 While the senators mostly criticized Chinese tariffs on American products like cars and the alleged manipulation of their currency to keep product prices low, Schumer used the commission hearing to raise issues about the honey trade. He said that America imports just over half the honey it uses, with much of that coming from countries that either make no honey or that don’t make enough for domestic consumption and that are presumably selling Chinese honey.

 “Four of the top eight [supplying] countries, India, Malaysia, Taiwan and Indonesia, export far more honey than their domestic bees produce,” argued Schumer. “This trans-shipment, we call it ‘honey laundering,’ the intentional mislabeling of the country of origin, is costing the U.S. millions of dollars in unpaid duties and putting customers at risk for honey contaminated with antibiotics, a problem common with Chinese honey,” he added.

 He also said that some of the Chinese honey comes into the U.S. market intentionally mislabeled as “sweetener” to get around anti-dumping laws. He claimed that 160 million pounds of mislabeled honey was imported over the last two years, costing the government $200 million in unpaid anti-dumping duties.

 A Schumer aide said that he raised the honey dumping issue because New York is the nation’s 12 largest honey producer and Empire State beekeepers are under pressure to keep prices competitive with imported honey. The commission didn’t comment on his argument, though one member said that the plight of American jobs due to China’s bad trading practices will be addressed in the panel’s next report.

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Central Beekeepers Alliance : Bee Tour 2010 in New Brunswick

Central Beekeepers Alliance : Bee Tour 2010 in New Brunswick


Bee Tour 2010 in New Brunswick

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 08:32 AM PDT

The New Brunswick Beekeepers’ Association will host the 2010 Maritime Bee Tour on the weekend of 23-24 July at St. Thomas University Conference Centre in Fredericton. If you plan to attend, please note that the deadline for registration is 2 July 2010.

NBBA SUMMER SEMINAR AND TOUR

FRIDAY, JULY 23 AND SATURDAY, JULY 24TH
REGISTRATION DEADLINE JULY 2, 2010
PLACE: ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY CONFERENCE CENTRE
368 FOREST HILL ROAD
FREDERICTON, NEW BRUNSWICK

Guest Speakers

  • Jerry Hayes, Chief of the Apiary Section for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Florida. He has compiled the "Classroom" in the American Bee Journal for the past 25 years.
  • Dwayne Mitchell, Apiculture Specialist, Ministry of Agriculture, Canada, currently working in Fredericton, NB.

Accomodations & Reservations

St. Thomas University Conference Centre
368 Forest Hill Road
Fredericton New Brunswick
Free parking on site.


View Larger Map

Room rates: Single occupancy is $47.85 per night tax included.  Double occupancy is $62.86 tax included. Both include a continental breakfast.
Room reservations must be made by 22 June 2010 and can be made by calling 506-460-0328 or by email reservations@stu.ca.

Registration

Registration fee is $65 per person. Please make cheques payable to the New Brunswick Beekeepers’ Association. Deadline for registration is 2 July 2010.

Click here to download the registration form (Word doc).

Contact

For more information, contact Ann Vautourat 506-388-5127 or by email at evangelinemiel@hotmail.com.

Onsite co-ordinators are Central Beekeepers Alliance members Dan and Mae Richards. They can be reached by email at d39m@nbnet.nb.ca or by phone at 506-455-4922.

Bee Tour 2010 in New Brunswick was written and published by the Central Beekeepers Alliance - Honey Bees & Beekeeping in New Brunswick, Canada. For more information, please visit http://cba.stonehavenlife.com.