SA impose ban on export of Zambian honey

South Africa has imposed a ban on the export of pure Zambian honey to that country after a consignment allegedly from Zambia was found to be contaminated with a disease called American Foulbrood also known as Peanibacillus larvae.

But Zambia has protested the ban arguing that procedures and regulations have not been followed.

In a letter to South African authorities, Zambian High Commissioner to South Africa, Emmanuel Mwamba stated that he had learnt with regret that South Africa has restricted market access for Zambia’s pure honey with immediate effect.

Mr. Mwamba says the ban was done outside procedures and trade regulations.

He argues that the procedures to impose the ban were breached and that no official letter has been written to competent authorities in Zambia as required by trade protocols.

He further states that no official results of the analysis and copy of import airway bill were provided for Zambia to authenticate and verify the source of such a consignment.

Mr. Mwamba says it’s difficult to establish whether the matter was a misconduct of traders who sometimes mix various imports of honey products from other countries.

He says Zambia exports its pure honey to other markets such as the European Union where stringent regulations exist and that if such a disease was detected, it would not have had market access to the EU.

Mr. Mwamba has since urged the authorities in South Africa to immediately reverse the ban on importation of pure honey until the laid down procedures and verification were done between experts from both countries

In a letter written to South African importers of pure Zambian honey, the authorities stated that audit samples from a consignment from a farm called Musonda Chitalu and Forest Fruite, detected paenibacillus larvae.

The authorities to this effect directed that all consignments from Zambia should be subjected to irradiation and all import permits allowing pure honey from Zambia have since been withdrawn