Complaints from French producers had not been registered with such intensity for many years, blaming the imports coming from the south (ie from Spain) as primarily responsible for their woes.
French producers complain about the low prices they get for their produce and blame Spanish growers, who they accuse of selling their production in France and other European markets at ridiculously low prices.
The ensuing arguments from French growers are well-known: if the Spanish fruit they import is cheap, chain stores will not purchase French produce, unless at the same low prices. Immediately afterwards, Spanish growers are accused of unfair competition, of paying low wages to immigrant workers, not respecting environmental regulations, of using illegal products and even of supplying lower quality products which French consumers will only buy as a result of their low prices.
Disputes were again sparked as a result of the strawberries reaching the French market from Huelva. The mild winter temperatures have boosted production volumes and producers are trying to sell the fruit by any means possible. The problem is that something similar has happened in France, Belgium and Germany. Half of the European markets are experience a strawberry oversupply and of course, prices tend to fall.
However, there has been quantum leap in this case, as part of the specialised press, not limited to explaining agronomic and commercial aspects, has taken a stand on the issue that is quite close to that of local, although judging purely in food and gastronomic terms, mentioning, for example, that Spanish strawberries are so cheap because they are very watery and rot quickly, unlike the French, which are much more consistent and durable.
Now, however, there is growing concern among Spanish fruit exporters and among those who import it from France, as the conflict is expected to get worse in the coming weeks, given the evolution of the weather, marked by a predominance of high temperatures. This will cause the cherry, plum or peach productions from both countries to overlap, and thus the risk of complaints, boycotts, threats and violent actions will be greater.
Source: Lasprovincias.es