The Coordinator of Agricultural Producer and Livestock Organizations (COAG) of Andalusia has issued a warning about the threat faced by Huelva's berry sector, as a network of Spanish companies, and especially French ones, backed by investment funds through financial entities and also by some distribution chains, are conducting fraudulent practices. According to Eduardo López, Organization Secretary of COAG Andalusia, these companies are importing products from Morocco and relabeling them as if they were from Huelva, taking advantage of a border system that lacks proper controls.
This was revealed in a press conference in Huelva by the Organization Secretary of COAG Andalusia, Eduardo López, who said that the practice is being carried out "to do dirty business and sell foreign products as if they were from Andalusia and Huelva. They receive public funds from the European Union, the Spanish Government and the Andalusian Regional Government to set up their facilities, and sometimes even to have their own commercial teams, but at the same time, they have companies in Morocco."
"They take advantage of a fragile border system, with hardly any controls. There is a severe lack of control of imports, especially of those coming from Morocco and entering through the port of Algeciras, and this ends up with products being relabeled. Almería, Huelva and Granada are the provinces where most products are relabeled, but it is happening in every province of Andalusia," he says.
He cited the recent case of strawberries with hepatitis A imported from Morocco, which also contained substances not permitted in Spain. These products, which arrived unlabeled, were intended to be sold as products from Huelva, thus creating a risk for public health and causing economic damage to the Andalusian agricultural sector.
In light of this situation, COAG Andalusia is asking the central Government and the Andalusian regional Government to implement a shock plan against the lack of control of imports and strengthen border controls. Additionally, it calls for tougher sanctioning measures and for the fraudulent relabeling of products not to go unpunished. López has criticized the passivity of the authorities and the need for more severe sanctions against these practices that affect not only berries, but also other Andalusian agricultural products.
Lastly, COAG Andalusia has stressed the importance of protecting small and medium agricultural companies in Huelva, which have significant social value for the region. The agricultural organization has filed multiple complaints for the investigation of these fraudulent practices, but regrets that effective action has not yet been taken.
Source: europapress.es