The burning issue of Hellenization and of adulteration of honey set in Parliament the Member of Parliament for Kastoria and Deputy Head of Rural Development & Food for SYRIZA – PS, Ms. Olympia Teligioridou with a topical question to the competent Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Mr. Fotini Arabatzis. The press release follows
Press Release
Topical question by Olympia Teligioridou in Parliament on the Greekification and adulteration of honey
One of the fastest growing sectors of agricultural production in our country, beekeeping, is being hit by illegal Greek labeling and product adulteration. Especially during the pandemic, it has become clear that the scale of the problem, which on the one hand leads to a dramatic reduction in the income of Greek honey producers and on the other hand deceives end consumers about the origin and quality of the product, has grown enormously.
The Deputy Minister was asked what the government intends to do to combat this phenomenon and replied that the New Democracy party is addressing the problem with Law 4691/2020, which tightens the punitive framework for naturalization and increases controls.
In her second speech, Ms. Teligioridou stressed that Law 4191, which the government invokes, is regulatory and not executive in nature and has remained on paper, as emphasized by representatives of the agri-food sector, whose statements she submitted to parliament. Furthermore, based on official data from the Hellenic Food Authority (EFET), which she also submitted to Parliament, there has been a clear reduction in inspections during the New Democracy government, with a total of 7,452 inspections carried out in 2020, compared to 8,987 in 2018 and 9,481 in 2017.
