Shortly after 10 am, the beekeepers drove down to Nea Paralia and with their empty beehives formed two lines between the White Tower and the statue of M. Alexander.
Members of the Association of Beekeepers of Thessaloniki are holding a protest at the New Beach of Thessaloniki at this time.
According to thestival.gr shortly after 10 in the morning, the beekeepers came down with their vehicles to Nea Paralia and with their empty beehives formed two lines between the White Tower and the statue of M. Alexander.
What the beekeepers are asking from the government – as they say – is to apply the legislation regarding the production and sale of honey and to allow them to be in the forests so that they can produce their honey.
In his statements, the member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Beekeepers of Thessaloniki, Pantelis Karagoudakis, said that “our problems are getting worse year by year, they are the Greekizations, the ban on entering the forests, the excessive production costs, which have increased alarmingly”.
In fact, he added that regarding the Greekizations, “EU research has shown that almost 100% of the imported honey is more or less adulterated. This means that two kilos of Greek honey can be mixed with one ton of imported honey and be called Greek. At the same time, the labels on the shelves are not correct. The country of origin must be clearly indicated. Instead, we see the 27 hours of the EU hidden on the reverse side.”
Mr. Karagoudakis argued that the climate crisis has led to a frightening reduction in production. “Last year production dropped to 80%. This cannot go on. Our requests have nothing to do with money, but we want the legislation to be implemented”, he stressed.
From his side, the vice president of the Association, Theofanis Grigoriadis, said that production costs have risen sharply in the last two years due to the war in Ukraine, with the result that all raw materials have increased by 50-60%. “The jar in which we pack our honey was billed for 17 cents and now it has reached 47. Also, the hive used to cost 25 euros and now it has come to cost 47 euros, just the wood, and until it becomes a hive it reaches 60. We do not ask for money , we want to be let into the forests because this is our home. We take care of the forests, there are few cases where fires start from the wrong handling of the beekeepers”, he added.
The beekeepers hand out leaflets to the public, while they have sourced honey from the super market and invite people to taste their own and from the trade, so they can understand the difference.
As the beekeepers pointed out, they are expected to continue their protests.
Source: Skai
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