Interprofessional Organization of lemon and grapefruit, AILIMPO, along with fruit and vegetables Interprofessional of Andalusia, Hortyfruta, and horticultural AIC France, INTERFEL, have joined forces through the coordination of FRESHFEL Europe, to agree on a common European position, so that in the context of the CAP reform more importance is given to the interprofessionals and the necessary legal framework to increase effectiveness.
Ailimpo, Hortyfruta, Interfel and Freshfel demand a clear and ambitious European legislation that promotes the functioning of the interprofessional organizations in all member states. "A strengthened legislation should ensure that organizations function under effective operational standards, so as to not only have the status of 'observer' of the sector´s situation but to have authority to be real players. The legislation should give the industry organizations the power to perform their tasks of stabilizing the market and ensure that these associations have a greater chance when adopting sectoral agreements."
In recent years, Interprofessionals have developed a wide range of activities to improve the sector´s performance, having reached agreements to carry out promotional activities, initiatives to improve the quality, model contracts and so on. "Today more than ever it is necessary for public authorities and the industry work together to achieve a better functioning of the supply chain of horticultural products in order to offer customers a wide variety of quality products, while promoting healthy habits and satisfactory legitimate prices." In the same line, we need a new regulation on standard extension mechanisms that enable the practice to take agreements in an agile way, responding effectively to market crises.
We are convinced that the interprofessionals will become an important key that will help the sector manage crisis situations, to rebalance the supply chain, to defend the community against the priority products from third countries, to promote quality and consumption and to perform tasks of stabilizing the market.