I have now found the court case about the alleged Honey Scam-from the Berwick Advertiser: A bit more light is cast.
"Taste of honey leaves a bitter taste as beekeeper fined
A BEEKEEPER has been stung for £600 after it was discovered his honey had been imported all the way from Argentina.
Magistrates in Berwick heard how Richard Brodie of Wildfire Honey, Teviotdale Apiaries, misled consumers by labelling it as Woodland Honey, Ancrum, Scotland. He was caught when a rival honey producer, Willie Robson of Chain Bridge Honey Farm in Horncliffe, became suspicious. The court heard that Mr Robson wrote to the defendant in April last year asking him to withdraw the product. Two months later, Mr Robson saw the honey at the Good Life Shop in Wooler so alerted trading standards officers at Northumberland County Council. Analysis confirmed the honey to be Argentinian, although it was perfectly safe to eat and did not contain any of the antibiotics which are illegal in British produced honey. Brodie, of Denholm Hall Farm, Canongate, Denholm, Hawick, pleaded guilty to two offences under the Food Safety Act. He told magistrates he had bought a 25kg bucket of Argentinian honey to overcome the low yield of his own produce in 2002. "I could see there was a possibility of a shortfall of honey so I decided to use this Argentinian honey under the Woodland Honey label," he told the court. "I didn't want to change the label because I was trying to build up the brand. "This was an isolated incident and it was never my intention to mislead the public, although I now accept this is how it could be seen by others." The prosecution said it was important action was taken to protect customers' interests. Prosecutor Susan Moore said: "When you buy a jar of honey that says Ancrum on it, you presume it was produced there. "It's important that people don't lose their trust in what they are buying, especially when it comes to local produce as that could have a detrimental effect on traders in this area." Magistrates imposed a £300 fine for each offence but said the defendant would not be liable for costs of over £2000. Ronald Barber, chairman of the bench, said: "These are serious offences which involved a certain amount of deception to consumers which could have a knock-on effect for other honey makers." Mick King, principal trading standards officer at Northumberland County Council, said: "The survival and success of the local food industry depends on the credibility and reputation of their products. If consumers feel that the products that they are buying are not authentic, they will lose trust in local brands and this will have a devastating effect on many small businesses. "We are totally committed to protecting the reputation and integrity of local food brands. This prosecution should reassure local businesses and consumers that we take this seriously."
14 July 2004
I noticed yesterday that the parking area outside the Chainbridge Honey farm was packed with cars. So Mr R's blow for Purity and the integrity of our honey will bring its own reward. And quite right to.
A good thing that this did not come to light during the Falklands War as public reaction over using Argie Honey might have been more extreme. Mrs T would no doubt have sent a task force up the Tweed-it would have been turned back by the all powerful Tweed Commissioners in the interests of salmon conservation. Briskly too. No time for a game of bowls.
