Trademark sweet spot for beekeepers
Kiwi beekeepers are celebrating the sweet taste of a landmark decision by British authorities to accept the term ‘‘ma¯ nuka honey’’ for trademarking.
The decision reached overnight on Monday by the United Kingdom Trade Mark Registry recognising ma¯ nuka honey as a certification mark means the New Zealand beekeeping industry can seek further protection of the term.
At the same time Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced that the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) had produced a definition for ma¯nuka honey.
He said the decision would not please all producers, but would safeguard the industry from cowboy operators and protect New Zealand’s trade reputation.
‘‘The scale of the problem was never truly identified but what we know is there was more manuka honey sold than was being produced, so obviously some cowboy operators were mixing honey,’’ O’Connor said.
‘‘That’s not good for our reputation or for customers.’’
The testing system was the ministry’s own definition, and had been peer-reviewed. It would be a user-pays regime, based on checking 200-litre drums.
O’Connor said the the UMF (unique ma¯ nuka factor) definition was considered but was thought to be insufficiently robust.
The MPI definition has been in draft form over the past three years, and the final published definition
"It is accepted that the term ‘ma¯nuka’ would be seen as designating a specific plant variety grown in New Zealand."
UK Trade Mark Registry decision
has been only slightly changed. It is made up of a combination of four chemical markers derived from nectar and one DNA marker from ma¯ nuka pollen.
MPI has also issued new export requirements, which take effect from February 5 next year.
From then, all ma¯ nuka honey for export must be tested to ensure it meets the definition and businesses will be verified or checked on a regular basis.
UMF Honey Association spokesman John Rawcliffe said the UK trademarking decision was a major milestone for all New Zealanders, particularly Ma¯ ori.
‘‘This is a critical foundation stone, as we look to protect the term ma¯nuka as being intrinsically intertwined with New Zealand and positioning our important ma¯nuka honey industry in world markets.’’
The Ma¯nuka Honey Appellation Society, representing most of the New Zealand industry, filed the application seeking a certified trademark. The decision means the application can now be accepted for registration and notified for any comment by other market participants.
Hearing officer Carol Bennett, who acts for the UK Trade Mark Registry, said in her decision: ‘‘I have concluded that the term ‘ma¯ nuka’ is a Ma¯ ori word that is used to refer to the plant know by the botanical term Leptospermum scoparium.
‘‘The plant is grown in New Zealand and has been known by the common name ‘ma¯ nuka’ for some time. Although the plant Leptospermum scoparium is grown in areas outside of New Zealand, it is known by different ‘common’ names in those territories.
‘‘Therefore, it is accepted that the term ‘ma¯ nuka’ would be seen as designating a specific plant variety grown in New Zealand.’’
Rawcliffe said the ruling confirms the term ma¯ nuka honey as a badge of origin from a single geographical source – New Zealand.