Tariffs, low prices put squeeze on Sask. honey producers

The United States and Japan together account for nearly 90 per cent of Canada’s honey exports. Saskatchewan, one of the country’s largest producers, exports the vast majority of what it harvests — leaving it especially exposed when international markets falter.

“To ship Canadian honey too… we’ve been trying for the last number of years trying to find new locations,” Lalonde said.

But opening new markets is far from straightforward.

“Europe is a tough one because of the… Canadian honey… most of it comes from canola honey, which is a genetically modified crop,” he said. “And there’s very big resistance in Europe to any GMO product. So Europe is a very difficult market to get into.”

While EU laws don’t always require GMO labelling, even trace amounts of unapproved GM pollen can block imports altogether — a reality that has kept Canadian honey off European shelves for over a decade.

Asian markets are being explored, but Lalonde said it’s a long-term effort.

“For the Asian market, it will probably need to work with them. Local packing companies and things like that. It would be very difficult for a beekeeper just to magically have their honey appear on shelves in those countries. It would most likely need to be shipped down in sea cans and barrels and then have it repackaged,” he explained.

Meanwhile, global competition is pushing prices lower.

“Some of those honeys can come in at half the price or less of the current value paid to Canadian beekeepers,” Lalonde said.

He shared that Canadian bulk honey has dropped from over $3 per pound in 2022 to as low as $1.60 in late 2024.

“The price needed to be profitable is $2.00 per pound, [otherwise] we’re below the cost of production,” he added.

In May 2024, according to the Canadian Honey Council, local honey exported to the U.S. averaged $2.42 per pound.

“Every year we are making sure our bees are healthy and then crossing our fingers that the price will go up.”

Also, last September, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s national honey report noted that Canadian white canola honey was selling $0.75 per pound lower than American prices — a gap that continues to strain producers.

Adding to the pressure, beekeepers rely heavily on imported queen bees to rebuild their colonies each spring — a process vulnerable to delays and supply shocks.

“So a lot of those are produced in the United States and they come up into Canada to help us rebuild some of our winter losses,” Lalonde said. “Last year, Canada brought in about 260,000 Queens from the US.”

Warmer climates in places like California and Hawaii allow those queens to be bred and shipped much earlier than Canadian beekeepers can produce their own.

“The US Queens are able to be started and bred and ready to go,” he said. “Whereas in Western Canada… we’re not even able to start producing Queens until usually late May early June.”

That time advantage can be critical.

“It’s a way for beekeepers to start increasing the high count and making the nucleus colony probably four to six weeks earlier, or possibly 8 weeks earlier compared to what we can produce in Canada.”

Any delay in those shipments can have major consequences.

“Sometimes, they don’t get across on time,” he noted. “And when they arrive late or damaged, it puts the entire rebuilding season at risk.”

Despite the mounting challenges, Lalonde said producers are focused on resilience.

“Keep the bees healthy. That’s what allows us to produce a revenue and make a living,” he said.

For beekeepers in Saskatchewan and beyond, his hope is that stable trade and fair markets return — before the buzz fades too far.

—

Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

Tariffs, low prices put squeeze on Sask. honey producers

What's Trending