Beekeepers Ask Ottawa for Emergency Help as U.S. Honey Tariff Closes Market
The Canadian Beekeepers Federation is asking Ottawa for emergency payments for each bee colony to get through winter after the United States placed a 50-per-cent tariff on Canadian honey in August. The Globe and Mail
The request went in a letter to Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development. Executive director Connie Phillips said the group expects sales to the United States to fall to zero and stay there until the tariff is removed. The request is limited to cash per colony, paid before winter, to prevent colony losses.
Around 60 per cent of Canadian honey is sold to the United States. Statistics Canada puts those exports at $30-million last year. Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba produce about 80 per cent of Canada's honey. Costs for beekeepers have more than doubled since 2016. The Federation says a failure in commercial beekeeping would hurt pollination, the work bees do fertilizing crops, for blueberry growers in British Columbia and the Maritimes and canola growers in the Prairies.
U.S. President Donald Trump imposed the 50-per-cent charge in August. CBC reported the duties took effect Aug. 22 after trade talks broke down. Honey is one of hundreds of Canadian products facing a 50 per cent tariff to enter the United States. In July, beekeepers had warned prices could drop 40 per cent if the duties went ahead. Canada put a matching 50 per cent tariff on U.S. honey starting Sept. 8.
Ottawa has other tools. In August 2026, the federal government announced targeted countermeasures and support for workers and businesses hit by U.S. tariffs. Canada and Ontario announced more than $1.7 million to help honey operations improve colonies and stay competitive. That funding builds on earlier programs, including the Honey Bee Health Initiative for Ontario beekeepers. Under that program, Ontario beekeepers with fewer than 50 colonies can get up to $4,500 in total for approved projects. Separately, Canadian governments announced two AgriRecovery initiatives — federal-provincial aid for farm disasters — for grape growers and beekeepers, with up to $5 million for eligible grape growers. The Canadian Honey Council issued a press release on tariffs on Aug. 28, 2026.
The Federation's position is disputed inside the sector. Industry leaders question a central claim about cancelled honey contracts in the Federation's open letter calling for federal action. Western Producer
The broader context here is program choice and who is responsible. Heath MacDonald is the federal Agriculture minister, but the Federation wrote to Olszewski, whose Prairies development job covers where most honey is produced. The difference matters in practice. A per-colony interim payment would work like short-term cash to pay for wintering, while AgriRecovery and the Canada-Ontario shared-cost programs require assessments, eligibility checks and matching funds. The choice for Ottawa is whether to treat this as a sudden hit to one product that needs fast payment or as a business risk to handle through existing programs.
Looking at what this means for Ottawa, the pollination link stretches the file beyond $30-million in export sales. Because commercial hives also pollinate blueberries and canola, the Federation can press its case with both Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the emergency management department. Retaliation is less simple. A matching tariff on U.S. honey from Sept. 8 may help prices at home, but producers who rely on sales across the border still face a closed market. The test will be speed, targeting by colony numbers and region, and whether any federal money is delivered with the provinces.
