According to Marcelo Rodríguez, director of the Agricultural Cooperative of San Nicolás de Tolentino (COAGRISAN), the farmers' protests and blockades are delaying the delivery of nearly 200,000 kilos of tomatoes per week, 100,000 of which belong to his entity.
The Canary Islands exports to several European countries, and the blockades, which can delay the deliveries by up to three days, put the relationship with customers at risk. Rodriguez is very upset with the attitude of the French. He calls them "hypocrites" because both the Spaniards and the French have to comply with the same European laws. "I think it's completely hypocritical that they attack their colleagues," he stressed. "The only thing in which they compete with us is in workforce issues," he added.
Gustavo Rodríguez, spokesman for the Provincial Federation of Associations of Fruit and Vegetable Product Exporters of Las Palmas (Fedex), criticized the policies of the European Union that allow unequal competition with non-EU countries. Next week, Canarian farmers will take to the streets like their colleagues in the peninsula and the rest of the continent. Rodríguez said that -despite 'the collateral damage'- he understands the protests.
"I hope that everything returns to normal this week," he said.
Source: atlanticohoy.com