BEEKEEPING
The laws pertaining
to beekeeping and
honey labelling
T
o be a beekeeper
means that one is in
control (of the housing
at least) of a potentially lethal
animal or animals, however
small they may be, at the
same time as selling a product
which is a foodstuff for
human consumption.
Small wonder, therefore, that
beekeeping is covered by
various laws and regulations
that affect the keeping of
bees and production of
honey products.
Anyone wishing to keep bees
is governed by the Control
Measure GN R858 of 15
November 2013 , Control
Measure relating to
Honeybees promulgated in
terms of the Agricultural Pests
Act. This makes it obligatory
for all beekeepers to register
through the Dept of
Agriculture on an annual
basis, to keep proper records
of their beekeeping activities,
to mark their beehives and to
manage their colonies in a
responsible manner to
prevent and control bee
diseases.
In some of the larger
metropoles, municipalities
have promulgated separate
by-laws with regard to
beekeeping, while in other
cases the by-laws are
included in the health by-
laws. These mostly refer to
where the beehive may be
placed and give details about
the permit that is required to
keep bees. Refer to the by-
laws governing the area
where you keep your
beehives.
Smallholders collecting honey
from their hives also need to
be aware of the regulations
relating to the grading,
packing and marking of
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honey or mixture of bee
products.
The sale of honey and
mixtures of bee products is
regulated in terms of the
Agricultural Product
Standards Act, 1990 (Act No.
119 of 1990), Regulation No
R835. The regulation
prescribes that honey and
mixtures of bee products shall
comply with the key ele-
ments which include, among
others, grading, packing and
marking requirements.
Producers, packers and
importers of honey and
mixtures of bee products are
advised to comply with the
local market requirements
stated in the Agricultural
Product Standards Act, 1990
(Act No. 119 of 1990) and its
regulations, in order to
produce good quality honey
and mixtures of bee products
that can compete in the
formal markets.
Food safety and quality
measures should be a priority
in all honey and mixtures of
bee products and producers/
packers and importers.
In terms of Regulation R146
dated the 1 March 2010
under the Foodstuffs,
Cosmetics and Disinfectants
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