French honey production almost double that of last year

Honey production in France is set to almost double that of 2024, as favourable conditions for beehives leads to a bumper year.

Close to 25,000 tonnes of honey are set to be produced this year in France according to a report released last week from France’s beekeeping union (Union nationale de l'apiculture française, Unaf).

However, there are large differences between production values within each region, with the south-east having seen overall quantities reduced due to powerful heatwaves over the summer. 

This also led to a lower output of lavender honey, produced mainly in the Provence area.

Several variants see yield increase

Poor conditions, such as frosts and late rainfall, saw production decrease across France in 2024 to significantly lower than usual levels.

While this means the 2025 yield is not quite double that of a typical season (around 20,000 tonnes), it is still impressive having been at least 20 years since a similar level of production. 

All areas outside of the south-east saw yields increase as weather conditions were prime for apiaries.

“The winter of 2024/2025 was particularly mild and wet. Bee colonies resumed their activity, sometimes as early as late January,” said Unaf in its report, a date significantly earlier than usual.

“Despite mortality rates still being too high, the season was off to a good start with vegetation that had not suffered from the drought,” it added. 

Despite a poor lavender harvest, several other specialised honeys (harvested from bees feeding mostly on pollen from specific flowers or trees) saw increased production.

This included fir, forest, and acacia honeys, as well as mountain and all-flower yields.

In the south-east however, the results were ‘catastrophic,’ said the union in its report, affecting lavender honey as well as rosemary and thyme variants most of which are centred on production areas around the Mediterranean.

“A few days of heatwave have dashed any hope of a decent harvest,” and the Unaf is now calling for aid “to prevent farms from going bankrupt.” 

The union notes that newer lavender fields located in central France performed much better, less affected by the changing climate conditions.

Controversial ‘bee-killer’ pesticides remain banned 

Despite the success, around 30,000 tonnes of honey is still imported annually into France. 

This is used both for standalone use as well as an ingredient in other products, with annual honey consumption in France – around 45,000 tonnes – far outstripping national supply.

France’s honey production has roughly halved between the mid-1990s and mid-2010s, a decline largely attributed to the use of neonicotinoids insecticides. 

These pesticides are sometimes known as ‘bee killers’ for the danger they possess to bee colonies.

They have been banned since 2018 in France – the only country in the EU to currently prohibit their use, although when the current validity period for the products ends in the coming years it is highly likely they will be banned across the bloc.

A controversial farming law passed earlier this year sought to re-authorise some of the banned insecticides, however this element of the law was thrown out by France’s Constitutional Council.