Popular breakfast food options set to change as farmers 'struggle'
Honey is a food most Aussies take for granted, but changes in weather are impacting production this year.
Honey selections are pretty boring if you shop at Australia’s major supermarkets, because the different varieties are generally blended together into the same colour, taste and consistency. But if you’re an aficionado who enjoys the flavour variations from specific pollens on your morning toast, you might see your options change.
In general, Australia has had a dry year, causing native plants to die back, decreasing the types of flowers that are blooming.
“The quality won’t be affected as much, but the flora types could be influenced,” Danny Le Feuvre, CEO of the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council told Yahoo News.
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Western Australia has been particularly hard hit, where a great browning, has parched the southwest coast. And over in South Australia farmers have held out in planting canola — a preferred bee food. But NSW looks like it could have a reasonable season because of recent rain.
Beekeepers struggling to cover cost of honey production
While Le Feuvre describes the dry weather as a “concern” for beekeepers, he doesn’t expect retail prices to be immediately impacted because there is a large stockpile of honey from previous years.
“We’re not going to see honey prices change, or the farm gate increase until we see some of those inventories lower,” he said.
The low farm gate prices are causing problems for beekeepers, as they battle the threat of invasive pests and increasingly irregular weather patterns.
“I think everyone in the industry has got fingers and toes crossed for an increase in the farm gate price. We're currently really struggling. Our farm gate prices are only just above our cost of production, and so our beekeepers are doing it really tough,” Le Feuvre said.
“Farm gate prices are between $4 and $4.50 a kilogram, and our cost of production is typically around $4 a kilo. So we are at marginal profitability at the moment.”
Invasive pest threatens Australia's bees
The impact of varroa mite, a pest species that recently invaded NSW, has significantly increased production costs for farmers. And beekeepers in other states are fearful it will soon impact their hives.
Lindsay Bourke, the president of Tasmanian Beekeepers Association, told Yahoo the state is “gearing up” with biosecurity.
“We’re very concerned that varroa will get into Victoria. Because if it does, it's just on our doorstep — we’ve got that little moat around us,” he said.
Climate change forcing beekeepers to rethink business
Because beekeeping is so reliant on environmental factors, the changes in weather caused by global warming are only increasing pressure on the industry. Many are diversifying their businesses, with some using their bees for pollination on farms instead of just honey production.
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"Beekeepers have had to become a lot more in-tune with the environment and more astute at looking for new opportunities," Le Feuvre said.
"The business of beekeeping is becoming more complex, and climate is one of those drivers."
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