‘Thousands of jobs at risk’ if Australia loses legal battle over Manuka honey naming rights

Australia’s $1.2 billion manuka honey industry is on the line with a legal stoush over the naming rights with New Zealand. And the Government is being accused of not helping producers.

Australia is fighting to retain use of the term manuka honey.

AUSTRALIA’s manuka honey industry has accused the Federal Government of abandoning it in its bid to retain naming rights over the lucrative product.

The Australian Manuka Honey Association will go head to head with a group of New Zealand producers trying to trademark the term manuka honey, when a NZ court hearing begins on Tuesday.

The NZ group has made similar claims over the past five years in the US, China, Europe, and the UK, but none have been successful so far; Australian producers, however, fear the upcoming case will threaten Australia’s own $1.2 billion manuka honey market.

While the NZ industry has so far received more than $1.4 million from its federal government to assist its trademark fight, the Australian Government has not offered local producers similar support.

“The Government says it won’t get involved in private affairs but this is no longer a private matter,” AMHA chair Paul Callendar said.

“There’s thousands of real peoples’ jobs at risk here. If they win this trademark case, we’re all out of business.”

AMHA has been calling for the Government to provide financial support for its legal costs.

Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud both told The Weekly Times the Government does not provide financial support for the pursuit of private property rights, but noted more than $8.5 million had been provided to AMHA and the honey industry for trade and market access, and research and development.

“The Government wants to work with New Zealand to promote high quality Australian and NZ manuka honey in global markets,” Mr Littleproud said.

NZ producers argue manuka is a Maori word used to describe honey from the nectar of one particular Tea Tree species that grows in NZ; Australia argues the word can also be used to describe honey from a Tea Tree species native to Australia.

Mr Callendar said Australian producers had been seeking to work in collaboration with NZ on research and marketing, to no avail.

“These plants are only in Australia and New Zealand so we have an incredible natural resource … but in the meantime we need the Government to step in and help us negotiate,” he said.