Honey Producers Stick Together in Manuka Trademark Fight

HELEN KEMPTON, Mercury, October 31, 2017

A NATIONAL campaign spearheaded by a honey producer in Tasmania’s North-West is gaining wings as beekeepers band together to stop New Zealand producers trademarking the word Manuka.

Manuka honey, derived from the tea tree (leptospermum) native to Tasmania, can retail for as much as $120 a jar and is deemed a health product because of its antibacterial properties.

There are five commercial Manuka honey producers in Tasmania and a number of smaller operations that provide them with the liquid gold.

In response to the trademark application in NZ, the Australian honey industry has collectively formed the Australian Manuka Honey Association to formally oppose any attempts to monopolise international naming or market rights...