Beekeepers busted for selling unsafe honey in Cieza
Three tonnes of low quality and industrial honey and by-products seized was found to be unfit for human consumption
The Guardia Civil environmental protection service (Seprona) has shut down two places that were selling honey in Cieza for alleged public health violations, fraud and other criminal offences.
According to a spokesperson for the force, specialists from Seprona investigated two apiarists who were buying low quality honey from abroad, as well as honey for industrial usage – which is not fit for human consumption – and then selling it as if they had produced it themselves from different varieties of flowers.
Seprona launched the investigation in March, in collaboration with the Murcia regional government’s food inspection and food industry services.
Their enquiries led them to two bee farms in Cieza, where there were deficiencies relating to the traceability of the products, and which did not have all the required documentation to carry out this activity.
The officers and inspectors carried out a series of inspections at two warehouses in the municipality, where they seized 3,175 kilograms of honey, 57kg of bee pollen, 3kg of honeycomb, seven litres of propolis (bee glue) tincture, and 2,100g of pure propolis, with a total market value of about €20,000.
After a thorough investigation of the documents provided by the two beekeepers, as well as the evidence obtained from the inspections of the facilities and analysis of the products seized, the suspects were officially accused of offences against public health, the retail market and consumers, forgery of documents, and fraud related to subsidies and public aid schemes.
This operation prevented the sale of honey and derivatives which did not meet the parameters for human consumption, the spokesperson noted.
Images: Guardia Civil
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