Daniel Sauvaitre, a fruit grower from Charente and president of ANPP, was elected president of Interfel for a three-year term at the Interprofession's elective general meeting held earlier this week in Paris. He succeeds Laurent Grandin, who held the post for six years and "led the Interprofession during a pivotal period: drafting of the sector plan, management of Covid, the International Year of Fruit and Vegetables, Varenne de l'eau, the AGEC law, as well as initiating and implementing the fruit and vegetable sovereignty plan announced for 2023," according to the Interfel press release.
Interfel
The aim of the newly elected president is "to continue the work begun by his predecessor and to respond to the current challenges facing the sector," according to the press release. "The sovereignty plan for fruit and vegetables announced and implemented in February 2023 is scheduled to run until at least 2030. It is more relevant and legitimate than ever. I am committed to working alongside all the players in the sector to urge the new government and the national representatives to continue this proactive support, which is vital for our competitiveness," explains Daniel Sauvaitre.
Interfel Committee Nouvelle-Aquitaine
New board members also elected at the general meeting
▪ President: Daniel Sauvaitre
▪ Vice-Chairman: Christian Berthe* - National Union for the Wholesale Trade of Fruit and Vegetables (UNCGFL)
▪ General Secretary: Jeff Mahintach - National Trade and Distribution Federation (FCD)
▪ Deputy General Secretary: Sébastien Heraud - Rural Coordination (CR)
▪ Treasurer: Christophe Rousse - National Federation of Fruit, Vegetables and Horticulture Cooperatives (FELCOOP)
▪ Deputy Treasurer: Bernard Gerin - National Association of Fruit and Vegetable Shippers and Exporters (ANEEFEL)
*As the chairman comes from the upstream college, the vice-chairman must necessarily come from the downstream college.
Delegate committee chairmen
▪ Communication: Olivier Lemouzy, Deputy Chairman - National Association of Fruit and Vegetable Shippers and Exporters (ANEEFEL)
▪ Economy: Bruno Vila, Deputy Chairman - Légumes de France (LDF)
▪ International: Eric Guasch - National Association of Fruit and Vegetable Shippers and Exporters (ANEEFEL)
▪ Research and Innovation (ex SIREF): Françoise Roch - National Federation of Fruit Producers (FNPF)
▪ Regional Committees: Benoît Gilles - National Union for the Wholesale Trade of Fruit and Vegetables (UNCGFL)
Staying on track
Daniel Sauvaitre reaffirmed his commitment to supporting and revitalizing the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables, stepping up targeted research and experimentation work to anticipate new ecological constraints, and pursuing the Fruit and Vegetable Sovereignty Plan announced in 2023.
In a highly turbulent and uncertain economic, political and geopolitical climate, the new
president also expressed his desire to stay on track: from upstream to downstream, working closely with all players in the sector and maintaining an open dialogue, in order to strengthen the effectiveness of collective actions and improve the sector's economic and regulatory conditions.
Photo: © Interfel
Daniel Sauvaitre was elected president of Interfel on September 24th, 2024, after having held the position of secretary general of the Interprofession since 2013. At Interfel, he has also held the position of co-chairman of the economics committee for the past 11 years.
Chairman of the French Apple Pear Association since its creation in November 2008, he subsequently became vice-chairman of the Economic Governance of Fruit and Vegetables (GEFEL) and director of CTIFL. Born in Le Tâtre to farming parents, Daniel Sauvaitre is an arboriculturist, winegrower and mayor of Reignac (Charente).