The imported honey story took another interesting turn this week as the EU suspended imports of honey from Brazil.
From 3 September 2026, Brazil is no longer authorised to export honey — along with a number of other animal products — to the EU because it has not provided sufficient guarantees that it complies with new EU requirements on the use of antimicrobials.
The change is set out in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1189. Brazil had previously been authorised for honey, but the European Commission says it had not received information guaranteeing that Brazil had implemented the measures necessary to comply with the new requirements by 3 September. Honey was therefore removed, alongside several other Brazilian animal products, from the relevant EU list of authorised imports.
This is important because Brazil is a significant honey exporter. In 2024, the EU imported around 2,627 tonnes of Brazilian honey, which enters the European market alongside honey imported from many other countries.
Why the timing matters for honey consumers
The timing of this decision is particularly interesting for consumers because of the new EU honey labelling regulations, which came into effect in June.
According to the new legislation, the countries of origin of blended honey must now be shown on the jar, together with their percentage contribution. So a blend containing honey from countries such as China, Brazil, Mexico or Argentina is now much easier for consumers to identify.
This is a major change from the previous system, where imported blends could simply be described as a “blend of EU and non-EU honeys”, without telling consumers the individual countries involved or how much honey came from each one.
The new import restriction does not mean that Brazilian honey already legally imported into the EU suddenly disappears from supermarket shelves. But from 3 September, consignments of Brazilian honey cannot enter the EU while Brazil remains unauthorised.
It is also important to understand what the decision does and does not tell us. The EU has not announced that Brazilian honey has been found to contain antibiotics. The issue is that Brazil has not provided the guarantees required under the new EU rules concerning the use of certain antimicrobial medicines. An EU audit covering Brazilian poultry and honey is also underway.
Another reason to read the honey label
In a week when there has been so much discussion about where supermarket honey actually comes from, this is another reminder of why transparency matters so much in the food chain — whether it is about where our honey comes from or what is actually in it. As consumers, we have a right to know before we buy it.
The new country-of-origin labels finally give us considerably more information with which to make that decision. I explain exactly what those labels tell us — and importantly, what they do not verify — in my Consumer guide to EU honey labelling regulations.
As consumers, we can decide where we spend our money. If you want to know where your honey comes from, read the country-of-origin information on the jar. You can choose to support the big importers where there is not one drop of Irish honey in the jar. Or you can choose to support Irish bees and Irish beekeepers and buy guaranteed Irish honey from a local beekeeper.
For more background on the wider issues surrounding imported honey, including adulteration, authenticity and the international honey supply chain, read The truth about imported honey – EU & non-EU honey.
The position is different in the UK
Great Britain has not followed the EU in suspending Brazilian honey imports and is carrying out its own technical assessment of Brazil’s antimicrobial controls, which is expected to take around six months. Brazilian honey can continue to be imported into Great Britain while that assessment takes place.
Northern Ireland is treated differently however, the relevant EU food import rules continue to apply there, so the EU restriction on Brazilian honey also applies in Northern Ireland.
Hanna Bäckmo is an award-winning beekeeper, entrepreneur, hobby gardener and internationally published writer. Originally from a small island in Sweden, she now lives in East Cork with her son, two dogs, a flock of rescue chickens and lots of bees. Hanna is the founder of Hanna’s Bees, producing a unique range of natural and sustainable honey, propolis, and beeswax products sold in Ireland’s leading Gift & Artisan food stores and select US outlets. With 70 colonies of Native Irish honeybees, she is a passionate bee-advocate and educator and is an Ambassador for the Native Irish Honeybee.
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We had a fabulous weekend in the Local Enterprise tent at the Cork Summer Show 2023! The weather was fantastic and the atmosphere unreal. To top it all off, Hanna’s Bees was awarded Best Indoor Stand at the show!
Halfway into my first summer as a beekeeper a man in a white van drove up and parked outside my gate. He got out of the van, opened the gate and without as much as a hello uttered: ’You have bees.’ That encounter was the start of a long, enriching and wonderful friendship. The man in the van was Leo, and he was to become my mentor over the next few years. Until the playing-field was levelled, and we became partners in crime.
I always thought of mentoring as something other people availed of, probably a bit too fancy for me. And anyway, I have always had a rebellious mind and was never too keen on taking advice or accepting authorities. I just never though that mentoring was for me! I was going to create my own path in life and learn from my own mistakes. And then Leo opened that gate and let himself in.
EU suspends honey imports from Brazil
The imported honey story took another interesting turn this week as the EU suspended imports of honey from Brazil.
From 3 September 2026, Brazil is no longer authorised to export honey — along with a number of other animal products — to the EU because it has not provided sufficient guarantees that it complies with new EU requirements on the use of antimicrobials.
The change is set out in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1189. Brazil had previously been authorised for honey, but the European Commission says it had not received information guaranteeing that Brazil had implemented the measures necessary to comply with the new requirements by 3 September. Honey was therefore removed, alongside several other Brazilian animal products, from the relevant EU list of authorised imports.
This is important because Brazil is a significant honey exporter. In 2024, the EU imported around 2,627 tonnes of Brazilian honey, which enters the European market alongside honey imported from many other countries.
Why the timing matters for honey consumers
The timing of this decision is particularly interesting for consumers because of the new EU honey labelling regulations, which came into effect in June.
According to the new legislation, the countries of origin of blended honey must now be shown on the jar, together with their percentage contribution. So a blend containing honey from countries such as China, Brazil, Mexico or Argentina is now much easier for consumers to identify.
This is a major change from the previous system, where imported blends could simply be described as a “blend of EU and non-EU honeys”, without telling consumers the individual countries involved or how much honey came from each one.
The new import restriction does not mean that Brazilian honey already legally imported into the EU suddenly disappears from supermarket shelves. But from 3 September, consignments of Brazilian honey cannot enter the EU while Brazil remains unauthorised.
It is also important to understand what the decision does and does not tell us. The EU has not announced that Brazilian honey has been found to contain antibiotics. The issue is that Brazil has not provided the guarantees required under the new EU rules concerning the use of certain antimicrobial medicines. An EU audit covering Brazilian poultry and honey is also underway.
Another reason to read the honey label
In a week when there has been so much discussion about where supermarket honey actually comes from, this is another reminder of why transparency matters so much in the food chain — whether it is about where our honey comes from or what is actually in it. As consumers, we have a right to know before we buy it.
The new country-of-origin labels finally give us considerably more information with which to make that decision. I explain exactly what those labels tell us — and importantly, what they do not verify — in my Consumer guide to EU honey labelling regulations.
As consumers, we can decide where we spend our money. If you want to know where your honey comes from, read the country-of-origin information on the jar. You can choose to support the big importers where there is not one drop of Irish honey in the jar. Or you can choose to support Irish bees and Irish beekeepers and buy guaranteed Irish honey from a local beekeeper.
For more background on the wider issues surrounding imported honey, including adulteration, authenticity and the international honey supply chain, read The truth about imported honey – EU & non-EU honey.
The position is different in the UK
Great Britain has not followed the EU in suspending Brazilian honey imports and is carrying out its own technical assessment of Brazil’s antimicrobial controls, which is expected to take around six months. Brazilian honey can continue to be imported into Great Britain while that assessment takes place.
Northern Ireland is treated differently however, the relevant EU food import rules continue to apply there, so the EU restriction on Brazilian honey also applies in Northern Ireland.
Source
European Commission: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1189.
Hanna Bäckmo
Curious about the world of bees and honey? Join our newsletter to learn something new each week.
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The Importance of Mentoring
Halfway into my first summer as a beekeeper a man in a white van drove up and parked outside my gate. He got out of the van, opened the gate and without as much as a hello uttered: ’You have bees.’ That encounter was the start of a long, enriching and wonderful friendship. The man in the van was Leo, and he was to become my mentor over the next few years. Until the playing-field was levelled, and we became partners in crime.
I always thought of mentoring as something other people availed of, probably a bit too fancy for me. And anyway, I have always had a rebellious mind and was never too keen on taking advice or accepting authorities. I just never though that mentoring was for me! I was going to create my own path in life and learn from my own mistakes. And then Leo opened that gate and let himself in.