Spain: FEPEX demands inclusion of fruit and veg in CAP single payment regime
The inclusion of fruits and vegetables in the new regime of single payments will allow, according to FEPEX, the elimination of discrimination and competition distortion suffered presently by traditional producers in the sector. The manager of Coexphal, Juan Colomina highlighted that fruits and vegetables shouldn't be excluded from communitarian support and even less in a crisis situation like the present one.
Regarding the crisis management crisis, the administration representatives confirmed that the European Commission will present a Regulation proposal for the reform of those measures and the reform of the entrance price regime as well, in the next Management Committee, on the 22 of May. In that sense, FEPEX calls-up for the need that those effective measures to mean a real improvement and not just image proposals that will maintain the present ineffective situation.
The Mix Committee also agreed on the creation of an information device between the three countries: France, Italy and Spain, allowing farmers and Administrations to follow up weekly the markets for the main products. The representative for Proexport - Association of Fruits and Vegetables Producers and Exporters in the Murcia region and president for the Tomato Committee at FEPEX, José Hernandez also highlighted the need for this information to arrive effectively to producers and must include data from other countries not included in the Mix Committee, with the end result of having real market information.
The meeting of the Mix Committee, yesterday in Madrid, was co-presided by the secretary general of Agriculture, Isabel García Tejerina on the side of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture; Eric Allain, director of Agricultural, Food and Territory Policies by the French Ministry of Agriculture; and Felice Assenza, general director of Communitarian Policies and International Markets by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture. It also counted on the participation of a high number of representatives of the fruits and vegetables sectors of these three countries. The FEPEX delegation was leaded by the president Jorge Brotons and the director José María Pozancos. It was composed by representatives of the Associations of Andalucia (COEXPHAL and FRESHUELVA), Murcia (PROEXPORT), Canary Islands (FEDEX-ACETO), Extremadura (AFRUEX), Catalonia (AFRUCAT), Castilla-La Mancha (ANPCA) and Valencia Community (FEXPHAL).
The Mix Committee was created in 1997 and gathers periodically the administrations and producers of those countries. Italy joined in 2010. During the Mix Committee contact groups were created by product: strawberry, tomato, garlic, apple and peach-nectarine, that meet yearly and analyze the situation for each product in the markets, the problems and subjects of common interest. This year there were already meeting for the groups of tomato, garlic and strawberry. Next there will be meeting for the groups of peach-nectarine and apple.
Source: Fepex