Japan warning to block NZ honey shipments

Japan is warning it will stop importing New Zealand honey if it continues to find the weed killer glyphosate during border testing.

Japan warns it will block NZ honey shipments if glyphosate limits breached

New Zealand sent almost $68m of honey to Japan last year, but the country is warning it will stop our honey imports if it continues to find the weed killer glyphosate during border testing.

www.rnz.co.nz

 

[frazzledfozzle]

Extremely serious situation!

 

[Gerrit]

So it says: "Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has told the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) that if 5 percent of imported honey exceeds its glyphosate limit, it will stop the honey coming into Japan"

I like to know what this limit is??

 

[yesbut]

Here you are Gerrit....this might be close....

FYI finding this was really fast....I just googled "Japan glyphosate honey level"

 

[nikki watts]

I wonder if they test milk and meat as well ?

 

[frazzledfozzle]

I wonder if they test milk and meat as well ?

yes looks like they do

 

[frazzledfozzle]

So it says: "Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has told the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) that if 5 percent of imported honey exceeds its glyphosate limit, it will stop the honey coming into Japan"

I like to know what this limit is??

0.01 mg/kg
MPI is asking all exporters with honey shipments on the water to turn them around without landing if they haven’t already been tested ( and passed) for glyphosate.
Japan will test 100% of honey imported.

 

[bighands]

Write to Damien O'connor and tell him to ban Roundup.It has been done in Europe so we in "clean, green" N.Z. can do it.

Staff comment: You can reply to this new topic at

Time to ban glyphosate?

Write to Damien O'connor and tell him to ban Roundup.It has been done in Europe so we in "clean, green" N.Z. can do it.

forum.nzbees.net

 

[tristan]

0.01 mg/kg
MPI is asking all exporters with honey shipments on the water to turn them around without landing if they haven’t already been tested ( and passed) for glyphosate.
Japan will test 100% of honey imported.

they actually have a limit now??
the problem was that japan had no limit set which for them means the limit is zero by default.

 

[John B]

MPI should be buying some Japanese honey and testing it for residue. This kind of testing should be standard whenever a new compliance issue arises.

 

[Scientia Sit Potentia]

It is a dangerous path to take criticising another countries domestic product in my opinion. They may just ask why we have a different domestic standard for Manuka than we do for our export product? Why the domestic product can be produced to a lower testing threshold?

 

[Scientia Sit Potentia]

they actually have a limit now??
the problem was that japan had no limit set which for them means the limit is zero by default.

Japan has had a limit of 0.01 for a long time. It has not just come into effect. Ignorance of the law is not a mitigating argument.

 

[tristan]

Japan has had a limit of 0.01 for a long time. It has not just come into effect. Ignorance of the law is not a mitigating argument.

was simply going by what was being reported in the media.

 

[Grant]

was simply going by what was being reported in the media.

Always good to quote the source in that instance so it reduces any misinterpretation

 

[tristan]

Always good to quote the source in that instance so it reduces any misinterpretation

except i can't remember where that was.

 

[John B]

If Japan doesn't want roundup in honey then it should apply to their own honeys as well and maybe it does.
There are a huge amount of regulations that are imposed on all sorts of industries in New Zealand to meet standards that often don't apply in the countries the product is going to. The same can be said for some products that are imported into New Zealand. For instance there are quite strict regulations for keeping pigs in New Zealand but imported pork does not have to meet those standards making it cheaper and our own product uncompetitive.
Equivalency is important.

 

[Gordie]

If Japan doesn't want roundup in honey then it should apply to their own honeys as well and maybe it does.
There are a huge amount of regulations that are imposed on all sorts of industries in New Zealand to meet standards that often don't apply in the countries the product is going to.

It's a form of protectionism....another way of getting around tarriffs that couldn't be otherwise applied if the country has signed up to WTO.

 

[DonMac]

Many countries now test all imported food products for pesticide residues to ensure it does not exceed their own MRLs.
New Zealand has chosen to not test imported food products.
This has been done for many years. Japan has a rule for exporters - exceed their MRLs twice in 12 months then your farm, production facility is banned from the market for 12 months - just ask NZ onion, tomato and capsicum growers.
In the past 5 years our bee products export businesses are becoming very much aware of the needs for traceability and residue testing.
If your product does not meet the customer's country requirements then do not try to export.