The Association of Agricultural Workers of the Canary Islands (Atratican) has raised concerns about the alleged importation of fruit from South America into the Canary Islands that is labelled as if it were produced in Spain. The association indicates that this practice could intensify with the planned implementation of the free trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc.
According to Atratican, a group of associated farmers is preparing a formal complaint to be submitted to Seprona and subsequently transferred to the Prosecutor's Office. The farmers state that they have evidence of Brazilian melons entering the Canary Islands while being presented as produce grown on the Spanish mainland, as outlined in a press release.
The association refers to existing regulations governing imports into the archipelago. It notes that the introduction of melons from non-European countries has been prohibited since 1987, under the Order of 12 March 1987 issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. This order establishes phytosanitary rules for the import, export, and transit of vegetables and vegetable products in the Canary Islands.
Producers have informed Atratican that the reported actions may involve potential offences linked to public health, document falsification, trademark infringement, and environmental protection. According to these producers, the alleged practice involves importing melons from Brazil to Spain, repackaging them, changing labels, and altering traceability information to present the fruit as Spanish before shipping it to the Canary Islands. Similar situations have reportedly occurred in the past with avocados and tropical pineapples.
Atratican states that such actions warrant investigation by the competent authorities. The association indicates that the alleged practices may increase phytosanitary risks and distort the market by creating competition that disadvantages growers who comply with regulations and operate within the local production framework.
The association supports calls from affected producers for increased control measures. It suggests that inspecting the so-called mass balance of agricultural companies could provide an effective verification method. This would involve assessing whether the volumes sold as local production align with the cultivation area and yields declared by each operator.
In parallel, the farmers involved plan to launch a social media campaign aimed at informing consumers in the Canary Islands about the potential consequences of illegal fruit imports from countries considered to carry higher sanitary risks.
According to the producers, these risks may affect food safety, as non-EU production systems can involve pesticides and agrochemicals not authorised within the European Union. They also point to possible implications for employment continuity within the Canary Islands' agricultural sector.
Source: Tenerife Weekly
