Saint Lucia tops the International Category at the UK National Honey Show
(Left) 2024 Class 10 Champion Vincent “JEG” Clarke, (Right) 2023 Class 10 Champion Donson Stanley.
The UK National Honey Show is now completed and the results are finally in!
For the second consecutive year, Saint Lucia has won “Best International Honey, Class 10: One Jar of Clear Honey”. The award winning honey came from beekeeper Vincent “JEG” Clarke of View Forte. Two other entries gained recognition from the Judges with 2nd place going to Emerald Farms of Soufriere and 4th place going to last year’s Champion Donson Stanley. In total, Saint Lucia took 3 positions in the top 7 winners in this category, with the other 4 being taken by South Africa.
The UK National Honey Show is the world’s largest and most prestigious honey show and has been operating for over 100 years. The judges are highly trained, international experts, with at least 50 wins of their own.
Saint Lucia’s honey continues to be recognized internationally as one of the best in the world. More importantly, local beekeepers are now being internationally recognized experts in honey production.
Saint Lucia was not the only country to take wins at the UK Honey Show. Dominica also won 1st place in International Class 9. For decades, regional beekeepers have expounded on the exceptional quality of Caribbean honey, and the need to preserve the beekeeping tradition within the region. These wins are important evidence that greater support is required for beekeepers across the region. They also provide an excellent opportunity for Caribbean countries to diversify their economic development, whilst protecting the environment. Decision makers in the region must dedicate the requisite resources and design and implement proper policies and laws to safeguard honey production in the Caribbean. This includes ensuring that any honey trade within the region is managed through proper standardized testing which will help to protect honey from the market damages from adulterated, imported honey. .
These recent wins are as a direct result of the Hewanorra (OECS) Honey Show, which began in 2021, which provided OECS participants with the opportunity to compete regionally and internationally. The Hewanorra (OECS) Honey Show was the brainchild of the Iyanola Apiculture Collective and was proudly supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, OECS Secretariat via the BIO Space project funded by the European Union, GEF SGP UNDP, IICA and FAO. The Iyanola Apiculture Collective (IAC) will continue to develop, support and pursue opportunities for regional beekeeping. According to Richard Matthias, President of IAC, “Beekeeping was one of the main economic drivers in the Caribbean for 200 years and it is our hope to keep this tradition alive, not just for its economic benefits but to also support our people and the planet”
Congratulations to all the winners!
