Beekeeping hobbyists and other small honey production operations will soon see less regulation on the honey they produce for profit.
Senate Bill 1766, known as the Beekeepers Bill, was introduced into the state Legislature by state Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, and co-sponsored by state Sen. Robert Nichols. R-Jacksonville and state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham. State Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, sponsored the bill in the House of Representatives. The bill exempts hobbyist beekeepers that produce less than 2,500 pounds of honey per year from commercial kitchen requirements and state regulations that are intended for mass-scale food production operations.
“Any time we can remove government regulation we need to try to do so,” Creighton said. “Hobbyists like beekeepers that produce honey for Texans to enjoy at the breakfast table, they are finding themselves under more and more state regulation requiring things like commercial kitchens and burdensome inspections. [These are] things that should not affect a beekeeper [who] participates in a hobby that really goes way back in our Texas heritage.”
Metcalf said beekeeping is a rapidly growing hobby throughout the state. The Montgomery County Beekeeping Association has seen a dramatic increase in enrollment—going from just a handful of families a few years ago to more than 150 families in the organization in 2014, said former association President Leesa Hyder.
