French farmers ransack Spanish fruit trucks laden with cheap imports as fallout from E.coli crisis rumbles on

By Gavin Allen

Last updated at 9:27 AM on 12th August 2011

French farmers have begun attacking shipments of fruit and vegetables from Spain as an international crisis rips through the European agriculture industry.

Huge losses suffered by Spanish farmers during the E.coli crisis has led to them slashing the prices of their produce, undercutting the native growers in France by as much as 40 cents a kilo.

That has led to angry scenes with members of the French farmers union (FDSEA) breaking into Spanish fruit trucks and throwing the loads onto the ground, destroying entire cargos of fresh edible fruit.

Ransacked: French farmers empty the contents of Spanish fruit trucks onto the road in a row over undercutting in harsh economic times for the whole European agriculture market

Fruit flies: Members of the French regional farmers union (FDSEA) attacked these vans at the Lancon de Provence toll plaza in France

Vegetables of France, a union of vegetable producers, said the undercutting is possible because Spanish farmers are far more relaxed about labour costs and the enforcement of rules regarding the use of pesticide.

The problems stem from the lethal E.coli outbreak in Germany in June that killed 26 people and left thousands more seriously ill.

Germany originally blamed Spanish cucumbers for the outbreak, a claim later retracted, but not before it led to thousands of tons of uncontaminated fruit going to waste.

However, it is not just the Spanish who were affected by the E.coli outbreak. The whole European market is suffering and the French say that being undercut by the Spanish growers is preventing the French from recovery.

Angry incidents have taken place throughout France the week. These photographs were taken at the Lancon de Provence toll plaza, where distraught Spanish drivers were forced to watch as their deliveries were ransacked by a mob of more than 100 furious French farmers.

Trucks of Spanish nectarines were sabotaged as they crossed the border into France on Tuesday, while the European Union farming lobby Copa-Cogeca reported dozens of trucks have been emptied over the last few weeks at a crossing in Boulou en Roussillon.

Squashed: A Spanish lorry driver look on disconsolately as the contents of his delivery truck lie wasted on the ground before him

  Hard times: French farmers say they are being undercut by as much as 40 cents per kilo leading to angry scenes while, right a French gendarme watches on as his countrymen destroy the Spanish deliveries

Earlier this week in the Gard and Pyr?n?es-Orientales regions, five Spanish trucks were halted on the A9 motorway and emptied.

Later the same day a wholesalers in Nimes had much of its supplies cast onto the warehouse floor, while last month French growers poured Spanish shipments of peaches onto he ground outside the Spanish consulate in Perpignan.

The direct French action has been condemned by Copa-Cogeca in a letter to the European Commission, which has announced compensation packages for European farmers.

A fighting fund of 226million euros has been set up with Spain set to receive the lions share.

However, Spanish authorities say their 71million euro settlement doesn't even begin to cover losses which it says amounts to some 225million euors a week since the crisis began.

Angelique Delahaye, president of Vegetables of France, told the Wall Street Journal: 'We don't oppose the free market so long as rules are the same for everybody, but we oppose unfair competition.'

Setting out their stall: A member of the French regional farmers union waves the FNSEA union flag while his colleagues work

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Ukraine not to ban imports of EU vegetables over E. coli outbreak

Ukraine will not impose a ban on imports of EU vegetables because the country is taking measures to prevent contamination of E. coli bacteria, the head of the State Veterinary and Phytosanitary Service said on Monday.

"Today we cope with the situation, so a complete ban on imports of agricultural products of animal and plant origin for our state is premature and inappropriate," Anatoly Ponomarenko told a press conference.

Earlier Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Ukraine will strengthen border control on the imports of vegetables from the European Union.

Europeans began to abandon the mass consumption of vegetables in June following the E. coli outbreak, which has so far killed 38 people, mostly in Germany, and sickened over 3,000 others.

Scientists believed the possible source of contamination were tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce. Later it turned out that the deadly outbreak was triggered by vegetable sprouts grown in northern Germany.

Cases of E. coli infection, which causes bloody stools and serious kidney damage, were reported in 14 European countries, the United States and Canada. Virtually all the victims either live in Germany or traveled there recently.

Source: Xinhua

 

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AVA lifts suspension on imports from 2 Japan areas

THE Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has lifted the suspension on fruit and vegetables from Shizuoka and Hyogo prefectures in Japan.

This follows investigations by the Japanese authorities, which had ascertained that samples of contaminated vegetables were not from these two prefectures.

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Philippines limits imports of plants, fruits, vegetables from Japan

The Philippine government has banned the importation of planting materials and plant products such as fruits and vegetables from six prefectures considered to be affected by radiation in Japan, an official said Wednesday.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said Wednesday that based on the assessment of the Bureau of Plant Industry, "there may be risk of increased levels of radiation-contamination of plants, planting materials and plant products in Japan."

Alcala said the government is temporarily suspending the issuance of plant quarantine clearance for the importation of plants, planting materials, and plant products such as fruits and vegetables from the prefectures of Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Iwata, and Miyagi was temporarily suspended.

He stressed the importance of food safety and of protecting the consuming public from harm that may be caused by radiation- contaminated agriculture and fisheries products.

The government issued the ban on the basis of a report of the Philippine embassy in Tokyo that the earthquake in Japan has resulted in serious nuclear accident at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant which may have affected the radionuclide levels of food, water, and the atmosphere.

Source: Xinhua

 

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