Technicians of the regional Council of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Water of the Government of the Canary Islands have seized 316 kilos of imported tropical pineapples at a store in Adeje, southern Tenerife, which also sells wholesale to other businesses.
The entry of this fruit is banned in the islands because of the phytosanitary rules concerning the circulation of vegetables in the Canary Islands, as reported by the Council, which has intensified the inspections to control the entry of illegal fruit and vegetables.
The statement reveals that, after a report denouncing the entry of this fruit on the islands, inspectors of the Plant Protection Service of the General Directorate of Agriculture visited three stores.
At one of these stores, located in the municipality of Adeje, the technicians found 25 boxes of tropical pineapples, which, based on their characteristics, could come from Central America.
The Council explains that despite the fact that the purchase receipt indicates that the pineapples are of Canarian origin, the boxes in which the fruit was transported did not contain a label identifying their origin.
The merchandise has been seized and sealed in cold storage and an investigation of the importer responsible has been launched.
If the technicians verify that the fruit is not originally from the Archipelago, the importer will have to pay a penalty.
Last year, the Council of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Water carried out some 40 inspections in partnership with state and regional law enforcement agencies. As regards pineapples, three acts of immobilization were applied to approximately 1,000 kilos.
Source: EFE
