Local beekeeper weighs in on Texas HB 590, which will put restrictions on labeling honey

A brand new piece of proposed laws might have a huge impact on beekeepers in our space.

A Texas Home Invoice would crack down on what might legally be referred to as Texas honey.

In between the rooster crows, there’s a faint hum from Nicole Poore’s bees.

“Simply made this hive with a brand new queen so I can open it up and double-check simply to guarantee that she’s out of her little cage,” Poore, proprietor and beekeeper with Twin Lions Ranch, stated.

Amongst her goats, chickens, and roosters are Poore’s 11 hives the place she harvests contemporary homegrown honey out of Hondo.

“I can’t make medical claims however a number of my clients do inform me that they do wish to have honey, particularly at allergy season trigger it helps really feel higher,” Poore stated.

The entire honey she sells at farmer’s markets comes from her personal yard, however that’s not the case for all honey labeled pure Texas honey.

Some industrial beekeepers will take their hives to different states to pollinate or complement a low honey provide with a mix from one other place.

The proposed Texas Home Invoice 590 would make it a misdemeanor to label one thing Texas honey if it’s not solely from the Lone Star State.

“In the event you label it as uncooked Texas or pure Texas honey, it needs to be from Texas to the very best of your data,” she stated.

If this proposed invoice have been to go, those that mislabel honey might face jail time.

Poore thinks that’s a step too far.

“In the event that they wish to purchase Texas honey, it needs to be from Texas. However I don’t assume that jail time or something like that will be mandatory. I feel a tremendous could be excellent,” she stated.

Proper now, HB 590 is being despatched to the Senate Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs Committee for additional dialogue.

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