Australia's Honey Industry: The 2026 State of the Hive

Australia's honey market is valued at AUD $237.5 million and projected to reach $437.5 million by 2034 — growing at 6.3% annually. But beneath those headline numbers, a structural shift is underway: Varroa mite is straining eastern production, imports are filling the gap, and Western Australia's premium honey is quietly becoming one of the country's most significant food export stories.

Key Points

• Australia's honey market: AUD $237.5 million (2025), projected to $437.5 million by 2034
• Varroa mite confirmed in NSW, QLD, VIC, SA, and ACT — reshaping eastern-state production economics
• Australia imported 9,000 tonnes of honey in 2024, with imports meeting approximately 40% of domestic demand
• WA honey market expected to grow at 16.2% CAGR from 2024 to 2032 — the fastest segment in the country
• Forest Fresh exports WA honey to 17+ countries through its B2B arm, Honey X

The Australian honey industry has never been more interesting — or more complicated.

On the surface, the market numbers are strong. The Research and Markets 2025 report values the Australian honey market at AUD $237.5 million, with a forecast to nearly double by 2034 on a 6.3% compound annual growth rate. Globally, rising demand for natural, functional foods is pushing premium honey categories into new markets, and Australian honey — with its unique botanical diversity and bioactive properties — is well-positioned to benefit.

Beneath the surface, however, two forces are pulling in different directions. In the east, Varroa mite has permanently altered the economics of beekeeping. In the west, WA honey is experiencing something closer to a renaissance.

Understanding both dynamics is essential for anyone who wants to know where their honey is actually coming from in 2026.

The Eastern States: Varroa Rewrites the Rules

Since Varroa destructor arrived at Port of Newcastle in June 2022 and was declared impossible to eradicate by September 2023, every dimension of eastern-state beekeeping has changed.

NSW was once Australia's largest honey-producing state, holding 44% of the country's honeybee hives in 2022. That dominance came with corresponding honey output — NSW honey production was valued at AUD $58 million in 2021-22. Today, beekeepers in that state face annual treatment costs of $30,000 or more per commercial operation, declining feral bee populations that previously provided free pollination services, and an industry body predicting that up to 50% of amateur beekeepers may exit within two years.

The effects ripple outward. The almond industry's pollination costs have jumped from around $30 per hive to roughly $200. Apple growers in the Blue Mountains reported 2025 yields at just 5% of normal. Beekeepers who remain are managing the economics of a fundamentally different operation — one that includes ongoing miticide treatments, elevated labour costs, and reduced honey yields from weakened colonies.

Treatment-resistant Varroa strains, confirmed in NSW and Queensland in early 2026, add another layer of complexity. The two-year national Varroa Transition to Management program concluded in February 2026. Varroa is now a permanent feature of eastern Australian beekeeping.

Imports Fill the Gap — But Not All Honey Is Equal

Australia's domestic honey production in 2024 was 11,000 tonnes. Consumption was 15,000 tonnes. The 4,000-tonne gap was filled by imports — 9,000 tonnes in total, with approximately 3,500 tonnes coming from China, followed by Malaysia and Thailand.

This means imports are now meeting roughly 40% of domestic demand. That figure matters for a specific reason: the quality assurance standards governing imported honey differ from those applied to Australian-produced honey, and the industry's own testing in December 2025 found that some pre-packaged imported honey sold in Australian supermarkets was adulterated — mixed with rice syrup or other cheap syrups that current border tests can't reliably detect.

The gap between mass-market imported honey and genuinely tested, single-origin Australian honey has never been wider. This creates real opportunity for transparent producers — but it also puts more pressure on consumers to know what they're buying.

Western Australia: The Premium Honey Opportunity

Against the eastern-state challenges, WA's honey industry sits in a distinctly different position.

WA remains Varroa-free. Its geographic isolation, combined with active biosecurity infrastructure along the Nullarbor, has kept the mite out. WA bees don't require miticide treatments. WA hives maintain the vigour and antimicrobial enzyme activity of untreated, healthy colonies.

The numbers reflect this. The WA honey market segment is projected to grow at 16.2% CAGR from 2024 to 2032 — more than twice the national average. This isn't simply market optimism. It reflects genuine supply constraints in the east, growing international recognition of WA honey's bioactive properties, and a consumer trend toward premium, provenance-led food products.

WA produces some of the world's most scientifically validated bioactive honeys: Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata), Marri, Karri, and Desert Mallee, each with documented antimicrobial and antioxidant properties that rival and in some cases exceed New Zealand Manuka.

Research by Hossain and Locher (2023) in Applied Sciences found that WA honeys “at times exceeded NZ Manuka honey” in both antibacterial and antioxidant activity. The Pavy and Dragar (2011) analysis for the WA Jarrah Honey Committee confirmed Jarrah honey contains approximately three times the antioxidants of comparable Manuka honey.

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WA on the World Stage: The Export Story

The international market for premium Australian honey is no longer a niche. Australian Honey Bee Industry Council export data shows over 4,887 tonnes of honey and comb exported in 2023, valued at over USD $56 million, with North America, China, Japan, and South-East Asia as key destinations.

Forest Fresh Honey's B2B export arm, Honey X (honey-x.au), supplies WA honey to more than 17 countries. The ability to guarantee provenance, Varroa-free production, and independent laboratory validation matters enormously in export markets where premium honey commands significant price premiums. Markets in Asia — particularly China and Japan — have shown strong appetite for authenticated, high-grade Australian bioactive honey as concerns about global honey adulteration grow.

For WA producers, the international story is increasingly compelling. A genuine, lab-validated product from a clean, Varroa-free environment with documented bioactive credentials is exactly what premium international buyers are looking for.

Where Forest Fresh Honey Fits

Forest Fresh Honey has been producing and packing Western Australian honey since 1916, when John Fewster started with 12 hives in Muchea. Five generations later, the operation has grown to become Australia's largest collective of independent commercial beekeepers and packers.

The Forest Fresh model is built around one principle: every jar should be independently verified. Five laboratory tests per batch. A Certificate of Analysis for every product. The Jarrah Factor™ proprietary quality standard. And a product range that spans entry-level bioactive honey (Jarrah TA35+) through to the Jarrah Platinum TA50+ — equivalent to MGO 4000+ Manuka and among the highest-activity commercial honeys available anywhere in the world.

In 2026, as the broader Australian industry navigates Varroa, import pressure, and an increasingly quality-conscious consumer base, that standard of verification matters more than ever.

Read more: Varroa Mite in Australia — What It Means for Your Honey

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How big is Australia's honey industry in 2026?
A: The Australian honey market is valued at approximately AUD $237.5 million in 2025, according to Research and Markets. It is forecast to grow to AUD $437.5 million by 2034 at a 6.3% CAGR. The WA segment is the fastest-growing, at an expected 16.2% CAGR to 2032.

Q: How much honey does Australia import?
A: Australia imported approximately 9,000 tonnes of honey in 2024, primarily from China, Malaysia, and Thailand. This represents roughly 40% of domestic consumption. New Zealand accounts for the largest import value due to premium Manuka honey.

Q: What is making WA honey more valuable?
A: Several factors: Varroa-free production status (no miticide treatments required), documented bioactive properties superior to or equivalent to Manuka, scientific validation of antimicrobial and antioxidant activity, genuine rarity (Jarrah trees flower every 2-4 years), and growing international recognition of WA honey's premium positioning.

Q: Is Australian honey production declining?
A: National production dipped between 2018 and 2023 before recovering slightly to 11,000 tonnes in 2024. Eastern-state production faces ongoing pressure from Varroa, while WA production is growing. The market is shifting toward higher-value premium products over bulk commodity honey.

Q: Does Forest Fresh Honey export internationally?
A: Yes. Through Honey X (honey-x.au), Forest Fresh supplies WA honey to more than 17 countries. Key export markets include Asia, where demand for authenticated, premium bioactive honey is growing strongly.

Q: What makes WA honey scientifically different from eastern-state honey?
A: WA has a unique endemic flora — Jarrah, Marri, Karri, and other native eucalypts — that produces honeys with documented dual antimicrobial activity (both peroxide and non-peroxide), high antioxidant levels, low GI properties, and prebiotic characteristics. Research by Hossain and Locher (2023) confirmed WA honey “at times exceeded NZ Manuka honey” in antibacterial and antioxidant performance.

Written by Matt Fewster, 5th generation of the Fewster family and co-founder of Forest Fresh Honey.

Sources: - Research and Markets — Australia Honey Market Size and Forecast (2025): https://www.researchandmarkets.com/report/australia-honey-market - IndexBox — Australia Honey Market Overview 2024: https://www.indexbox.io/blog/honey-australia-market-overview-2024-6/ - Hossain & Locher (2023) — WA honey antibacterial and antioxidant activity, Applied Sciences: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/13/7440 - Pavy & Dragar (2011) — Jarrah honey antioxidant levels, WA Jarrah Honey Committee: https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/35350b70-4b13-4876-abd6-b146f468c4e8/downloads/media-release%20on%20antioxidant%20of%20jarrah%20honey.pdf - ABC News — Varroa mite impacts worsen for NSW beekeepers (November 2025): https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-26/varroa-mite-impacts-worsen-nsw-beekeepers/106049860 - ABC News — Testing on supermarket imported honey (December 2025): https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-10/testing-finds-some-imported-honey-not-honey/106119344 - Australian Honey Bee Industry Council export data (2023) via Research and Markets