Honey Packers and Importers; Increased Assessment Rate
Key claim: Honey packers and importers will pay a higher National Honey Board fee—rising from 1.5 cents to 2 cents per pound over two fiscal periods—and that higher rate stays in place until it is changed.
Abstract
(Rule · Agriculture Department, Agricultural Marketing Service) This final rule implements a recommendation from the National Honey Board to increase the assessment rate for first handlers and importers from 1.5 cents ($0.015) per pound of assessable honey and honey products to 2 cents ($0.02) per pound of assessable honey and honey products over two fiscal periods. The assessment rate will remain in effect indefinitely until modified or terminated.
Why this matters
Checkoff assessments are a core USDA tool for funding commodity promotion and research, and rate changes directly affect the cost structure for handlers and importers who may pass costs downstream to consumers. The increase from 1.5 to 2.0 cents per pound expands the National Honey Board’s budget for marketing and research at a time when U.S. honey producers face pressure from imports and adulteration concerns, making the assessment level a modest but ongoing input cost for the honey supply chain.