Alberta honey producers face 50% U.S. tariff, losing their biggest export market

Alberta's largest beekeeping industry is reeling from a 50 per cent U.S. tariff on Canadian honey that's already begun shutting them out of their most important market.

About one-third to one-half of production at Nixon Honey Farm in Red Deer County goes south of the border in any given year. Owner Kevin Nixon said the tariff has made the economics impossible: "I think we (have lost) the market into the U.S. Fifty per cent tariff, the margins are not there for the producer to eat that or I don't think the buyers on the other side are in a position to take on that cost."

According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, about 56 per cent of honey exports by volume in Canada went to the United States last year. A 50% U.S. tariff on Canadian honey is set to take effect August 19, 2026, leaving producers in limbo heading into their planning season.

Nixon's farm was gearing up for price negotiations scheduled for September — the usual rhythm for setting the year ahead. Instead, the tariff has frozen discussions. "We have bills to pay and winter preparations for the bees and planning for next year," Nixon said. "We start planning for next year now. You need to know that you have cash flow to be able to make those plans."

Curtis Miedema, chair of the Alberta Beekeepers Commission and owner of Miedema Honey Farm, is calling for domestic support. "Buying Canadian, supporting Canadian as much as we can is going to be the best way we can get through this."

Beekeepers are also pointing to what they see as unfair competition in Canadian grocery stores. "We're bringing in honey from places like India, Brazil, Vietnam, and Argentina into a country we don't really need any imports," Miedema said, noting that federal labelling laws mean consumers might not realize they're buying imported honey rather than Canadian product.