GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS: AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND MANUKA HONEY

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The Australian Manuka Honey Association (AMHA), a group of some of Australia’s largest Manuka honey manufacturers was last week made aware of a recent decision by the United Kingdom Trade Mark Registry to allow a New Zealand group to trademark the term Manuka Honey. The UK decision recognized Manuka as a certification mark which means that New Zealand can seek further protection of the term.

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History of the case- With a strong growth in demand, particularly from China, for honey and especially for manuka, which contains anti-bacterial and other health properties and can retail for $150 a kilogram, there is currently a “fight between New Zealand and Australia over the right to market manuka honey, produced by bees from the manuka or tea-tree bush”.

In a bid to freeze out other Manuka producers, Kiwi producers have adopted the following approach;

·         Applied for exclusive trademarks on “manuka” honey in the US, Britain, China, Australia, and New Zealand.

·         Use of free-trade agreements starting with the European Union

·         Lobbying the New Zealand government to extend geographical indicator laws that protect regional wine to manuka honey, despite the absence of any region called “manuka”.

In support of the above approach, the Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association have stated as follows;

·         The campaign was about protecting a New Zealand product, not denigrating Australian producers

·         Manuka was a Maori word.

·         New Zealand pioneered its use in honey.

·         Australian producers have been “opportunistic” in seeking the same success.

The Australian Honey Bee Industry Council and now the Australian Manuka Honey Association have engaged trademark lawyers to fight the trademark applications in order to be in a position to continue to market Manuka and their approach is as follows;

·         Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) originated in Australia and the seeds spread across the Tasman. Australians have been using manuka for 150 years, with production starting in1831, eight years before the Kiwis even got (European honey) bees.

Bee feeding on the nectar of  a Manuka flower
Photo credit: beeculture.com

·         Australia has a better manuka in lower New South Wales and Victoria, with even more MGO (anti-bacterial methylglyoxal).

·         Australia has more than 80 Manuka species in comparison to New Zealand who only has one.

We are monitoring events on this and we will update you with developments.

News Sources- Scoop, The Australian

Check out our previous posts on Geographical Indications and feel free to make comments in the comment section below.