Northern Alberta beekeepers say tariffs on honey would damage already fragile industry

Beekeepers in Alberta's Peace region are watching nervously as the threat of a trade war looms.

They say the industry is already dealing with major difficulties from hive loss due to climate change and parasites, so potential tariffs on both sides of the border would make things worse. 

"It used to be 10 to 15 years ago you would expect to lose about 15 or 20 per cent of your hives over winter," explained Ryan Hicks, who owns and operates Hicks Honey Farm in McLennan, about 50 kilometres north of High Prairie.

"It seems like 30 to 40 per cent is closer to the new average. So it's been a bit of a bite into our profit margin," he said. 

His farm has about 11,000 hives — half for honey production and the other half for canola pollination. 

The possibility of U.S. tariffs on honey retaliatory tariffs on honey bee queens and beekeeping equipment coming into Canada is a cause for concern from the industry. 

Hicks Honey ships its product mostly within Canada, but it imports queen bees and equipment from the United States. Hicks said prices are already low and a tariff would lower profits even further.

"I don't think anyone wins in a trade war, when there's tariffs being thrown around …I don't know if the producer eats that or if the buyer eats that, but probably nobody would win," he said. 

Other beekeepers in the area agree with Hicks, and some are reconsidering what their business will look like. 

Paradis Honey is a family-owned beekeeping business that runs about 5,000 hives. They ship their products within Canada but also to the U.S., Europe and parts of Asia. 

"Am I going to hire 25 people to run the farm with me or am I going to hire five people?" said Mike Paradis, the owner of Paradis Honey in Girouxville, Alta. 

"Why would I want to replace all my losses and go through all that extra work if I'm not moving forward? If I'm going to go backwards? This industry is already on life support."

Watch | How a trade war would affect beekeepers:

According to the government of Alberta website, the province has the largest beekeeping industry in the country, representing about 40 per cent of the total honey bees in Canada.