Evaluation of the CAP measures related to apiculture
Agriculture and Rural Development DG- Final Report
33
Table 2: Recent trend in honey production in the EU, in tons
2000 2005 2010
Luxembourg
122
148
204
Ireland
240
181
170
Latvia
333
916
676
Estonia
334
638
681
Cyprus
750
562
590
Denmark
1 500
1 300
Finland
1 100
2 300
1 700
Belgium
1 460
2 150
2 600
Slovenia
2 300
1 650
1 910
Sweden
2 600
3 301
2 300
United Kingdom
2 870
4 824
6 300
Slovakia
3 493
4 258
4 500
Portugal
4 461
5 686
7 426
Bulgaria
5 337
11 221
10 595
Czech Republic
7 553
8 371
7 455
Poland
8 623
9 955
12 467
Austria
8 700
6 100
4 700
Italy
10 000
13 000
9 400
Romania
11 746
19 200
22 222
Greece
14 356
16 297
14 300
Hungary
15 165
19 714
16 500
France
15 691
15 965
15 974
Germany
20 409
21 232
23 137
Spain
28 860
27 230
34 000
EU
168 503
198 404
203 117
Source: FAOSTAT
Levels of production per farm evidently depend on the number of hives and on the bee health situation but also on a lot of other factors such as the type of hive, the density of bee colonies in the area and availability of proper and healthy habitats and food.
Unfavourable years with low production are not occurring uniformly on EU territory and the figures presented above do not show particular problematic decreases in honey production. For individual countries these adverse situations do however occur, as mentioned in the case studies. In Greece, the particularly hot summer in 2007 together with the fires of the previous years had damaging consequences on beekeeping. According to the special committee formed for this reason by the Greek Agricultural Insurance (ELGA), production decreased in 2007 in comparison to normal levels by: 45% in the North and Central Greece, 50% in South Greece and Ionian Islands and 55% in Aegean Islands and Crete.
Evaluation of the CAP measures related to apiculture
Agriculture and Rural Development DG- Final Report
34
As mentioned in the case study on Greece, the country has a high number of bee colonies per beekeeper: 70. As for Hungary, the average number of hives per family has been estimated to 35-40 and in Belgium it has been estimated to 14 hives/beekeeper.
FAOSTAT data allow for calculating average production per hive for several countries. Although slightly different from data reported in the case studies, the results in table 3 show that the highest yields are often observed in Northern countries:
Table 3 : Average production per hive (kg/hive) Countries Average honey production
Poland
9
Greece
11
Spain
14
Czech Republic
14
Cyprus
15
Austria
16
France
16
Bulgaria
17
Lithuania
17
Italy
19
Slovakia
19
Romania
21
Portugal
23
Estonia
25
Germany
34
Hungary
38
Slovenia
43
Finland
46
Sweden
51
Source: FAOSTAT, 2010
This variability in yields is due to several differences in the environment (climate, nectar quantities, density of bee colonies, etc.) but also to the variable size and forms of the hives used in each region. For instance, the most extended model of beehive in Spain is the Layens model.
It has been traditionally prevalent in Spain, particularly as it is easy to handle for transhumance purposes. Layens hives are horizontally arranged.
In the Northern area, top bar hive types such as the Langstroth (widely used around the world) and the Dadant types prevail. These vertically arranged hives facilitate the treatment of hives against diseases without risking that the products employed also affect the honey, and usually produce higher yields.
In Greece, beekeepers are using Langstroth hives which technically provides inferior yields compared to Dadant hives because of the shape of the hive and the frames.
In Hungary, the majority of beekeepers are using traditional technology (only about 1/3 of the hives can be considered as more modern mobile hives).
Evaluation of the CAP measures related to apiculture
Agriculture and Rural Development DG- Final Report
35
In Greece, the case study reports an average yield of 17-20kg/hive and the highest density of hives of Europe (10 colonies/km2).
In the case study for Hungary, the average yield for 2010 has been estimated to be 27.4 kg. In Belgium the observed average yield was rather low in 2012: 17.9 kg/hive. Finally, in Spain, the yield per hive amounted to only 14.0 kg/hive in 2010, representing an increase from 2006 (12.5 kg/hive). This level is however still considerably lower than previous historical levels. To put these figures into historical perspective; during the 1960s the average productivity in Spain was around 20kg/hive (per year).
