FEPEX has requested the immediate implementation of effective crisis management measures for the current stonefruit campaign at the meeting of the Spanish-French-Italian contact group in a context of strong tension between EU producing countries due to the poor development of the campaign, with the lowest prices in recent years. This price crisis has led to unrest for all producers and to attacks on Spanish fruit by French growers last week. FEPEX believes that this crisis is common to all producers, and "finding solutions should not go hand in hand with confrontations between countries, which generally occur in times of crisis and whose effects do not help in solving the problem."
Therefore, FEPEX requested the urgent implementation of the provisions of article 219 on the measures for the prevention of market disturbances of Regulation (EU) 1308/2013 of the Common Organisation of Agricultural markets (COM), which grants the European Commission with the power to adopt delegated acts that allow to take necessary and immediate action to address or prevent situations that cause market disturbances.
The Ministry and the EC should become involved before the problem spreads
FEPEX considers that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the European Commission should implement urgent measures, because right now there is a "crisis situation affecting stonefruit producers with potentially destructive consequences for their income and the long-term sustainability of their activities."
Stonefruit is of strategic importance for the Spanish agricultural sector. Exports in 2013 totalled 908,772 tonnes, of which 406,908 corresponded to nectarines, 342,045 tonnes to peaches, 71,652 to plums, 61,763 tonnes to apricots and 26,394 tonnes to cherries. It was the second most important type of fruit exported by Spain, behind citrus.
In value terms, Spain's stonefruit exports in 2013 amounted to 998.8 million Euro, of which 429.5 million Euro corresponded to nectarines, 331 million to peaches, 92.5 million to apricots, 85.2 million to plums and 60.6 million Euro to cherries.