Freshfel Europe has hit out at recent claims by the European Commission (EC) that the introduction of new marketing standards for fruit and vegetables has saved €970m for fresh produce producers, claiming that the decision to remove 26 standards has actually added costs to the supply chain.
The EC said that, following the introduction of standards, growers and packers had made savings by no longer having to spend excessive time on grading and labelling per tonne of produce.
However, in a statement, Freshfel said that the lauding of the changes by the EC showed a 'lack of understanding of the sector', and that, in some cases, new controls and paperwork had actually increased.
'The Commission's claim of savings worth more than €970m (2 per cent of the European Union's fruit and vegetable production value) for the sector adds insult to injury to a sector suffering from a crisis which today touches most agricultural commodities,' said Freshfel general delegate Philippe Binard. 'The idea that fruit and vegetable producers would no longer have to grade their products because of the abolition of EU marketing standards is telling for the ill-preparedness with which this decision was taken. The lack of legislation has been filled with contractual clauses referring to the very same provisions of the legislation, and some operators now even have to apply standards they never before had to under EU legislation.'
Mr Binard added that grading would continue despite the standard changes, and that the trend of increased labelling obligations through greater safety, nutrition and environment requirements would continue.
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