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: 

Possible trade war spells trouble for beekeepers

6 days ago

Duration 2:15

Beekeepers in northwestern Alberta are worried about the impact of tariffs on both sides of the border, saying the industry is on 'life support' already due to hive loss and slim profit margins.

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. 

Alberta produced about 37 million pounds of honey in 2023, according to Statistics Canada, the most of any Canadian province.

The Alberta Beekeepers Commission said the Peace region accounts for a large part of that. The commission estimates that the price of honey could drop by about 50 cents per pound if U.S. tariffs come in. 

"The current price is about $2.30 a pound Canadian. So dropping it by the [50 cents] would be below the cost of production. It could be quite punitive," said executive director Connie Phillips.

"In terms of each colony, and this is really general, numbers might produce anywhere from 100 to 130 pounds of honey. If that honey was worth $2.50 a pound and now it's $2.00 or even less, that would be a significant impact on beekeeper revenue. Honey is the basis of a beekeeper's [income] and how they make their living is being able to sell it," she explained.

Phillips is advocating for industry leaders on both sides of the border to work out a solution. 

"I think the U.S. and Canadian industries do work well together. They've been, working well together for many, many, many decades," she said. 

"We just need to not react and sit down, be calm and say how can we do this? So everybody benefits and nobody really gets hurt here."