Due to the very unfavorable climatic conditions of spring and summer, the annual collection is half less than that of 2020.
Le Monde with AFP
The honey crop 2021 will be between 7,000 and 9,000 tonnes, less than half of that of 2020, lamented, Monday, October 18, the National Union of French Apiculture (UNAF), which evokes a “disastrous” year. “This is the worst year of French beekeeping,” considers this organization, which recalls that the previous year was satisfactory (18,000 to 20,000 tonnes). In 1995, France produced about 32,000 tonnes of honey. In 2019, the harvest had been less than 10,000 tonnes.
This year, the bad harvest can be explained in particular by the very unfavorable climatic conditions of spring and summer. “The climatic upheaval, felt by beekeepers for a good fortnight is there,” says UNAF. In many areas, long periods of gel, cold and rainfamous have succeeded each other throughout the spring and a good part of the summer. “Bees could not benefit from Florals,” she says.
If rapeseed honey crops have been poor in most areas of acacia honey, aneanties by late jelly and rains, have been “null throughout the territory”, according to the organization. .
Lavender honey pulls its game pin
In the south, spring honey crops such as rosemary, thyme, white heather or scrubland, have been null or mediocre. In the southeast, that of Lavender honey pulled its game pin. Those of chestnut honey are everywhere mediocre.
In the mountains, honeyes have turned out globally bad because often too brief. In the east, those of forest or fir, are almost zero. The sunflower harvest varies according to basins but often remains disappointing.
Only small point of consolation for beekeepers: the predation of the hornet was very low in 2021. As the bees, he suffered bad weather conditions.
In July, UNAF alerted the State’s services to implement the agricultural calamities plan to help beekeepers to pass this course. Several departments have already initiated the procedure. “There will be less French honey in the shops but a lot of foreign honey,” said France-Presse, Christian Pons, UNAF President.