As part of World Bee Day celebration on May 20, the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council launched its ‘Home Sweet Home’ campaign to raise awareness of the nation’s $14.2 billion honey bee pollination industry.
“World Bee Day, now in its fourth year, was designated by the United Nations in late 2017 in response to Slovenia’s (a renowned beekeeping nation) request for the significance of bees to global food security to be highlighted at an international level,” council chair Trevor Weatherhead said.
“Our local campaign, ‘Home Sweet Home’, aims to help Australians better understand the invaluable role bees play in producing nutritious food, celebrate the diversity and quality of honey produced here in Australia, highlight the importance of buying 100 per cent Australian-made honey, and share interesting bee and beekeeping facts with consumers.
“Not only do bees produce honey, but they are also critical to the production of healthy and nutritious foods such as blueberries, almonds, pumpkins, avocados, apples and watermelon to name a few, as well as many crops grazed by livestock.”
Mr Weatherhead said Australia was globally renowned for its world-class honey, which would be highlighted through the giveaway of enough honey to keep one lucky winner in supply for more than a year.
“Beekeepers across the nation want to share the message of the importance of bees and have kindly provided approximately 19kg of honey for the ‘Home Sweet Home’ campaign showcasing the delicious variety of Australian honey,” he said.
“Given honey doesn’t have a used by date, the competition winner can take their time to try the different honeys or choose to share with family and friends.”
To learn more about the nation’s honey bee industry, and to find details of the ‘Home Sweet Home’ campaign and competition, follow AHBIC on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The campaign ends on Friday, June 10.