NZ warned over glyphosate in honey

WELLINGTON: Japan is warning it will stop importing New Zealand honey if it continues to find the weedkiller glyphosate during border testing.

New Zealand’s global honey exports totalled $490 million last year, with almost $68 million of that sent to Japan.

Japan is now testing all honey from New Zealand at the border, after it detected glyphosate for the second time through random testing.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has told the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) that if 5% of imported honey exceeds its glyphosate limit, it will stop the honey coming into Japan.

MPI food risk assessment manager at New Zealand Food Safety Andrew Pearson said as a response, glyphosate testing would be required before New Zealand honey was exported to Japan.

‘‘If test results are not provided, MPI will not grant export certification for that consignment of honey.’’

Despite its widespread use around the world, glyphosate is a controversial weedkiller — the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified it as probably carcinogenic to humans.

However, Mr Pearson said New Zealand Food Safety concluded the agency’s data did not indicate any credible risk to users of the weedkiller or to consumers of produce with residues of glyphosate in compliance with New Zealand’s maximum residue levels. ‘‘For a realworld example, a 5yearold child who was consuming honey with the default maximum residue level in New Zealand would need to eat roughly 230kg of honey every day for the rest of their life to reach the World Health Organisation acceptable daily intake for glyphosate,’’ he said.

Apiculture New Zealand chief executive Karin Kos said honey producers had been told about the new rules but many already tested for glyphosate.

Kos recommended beekeepers talk to landowners to make sure there was no spraying when bees were collecting nectar.

No other countries have indicated they will introduce measures similar to Japan.