European trade body Freshfel has issued a reflection paper to the European Commission making recommendations for the reform of the fruit and vegetable regime (CMO) based on the success of the Bangor Project.
"The current CMO focuses exclusively on the supply side of fruit and vegetables," said Laurence Swan, chairman of the Freshfel working group on promotion. "The time is ripe to adopt a holistic approach to the organisation of the fresh produce chain and make the link with demand from European consumers…Programmes such as the one developed by the University of Wales, Bangor have demonstrated that short-term promotional campaigns can significantly and lastingly alter fruit and vegetable consumption habits…they provide a useful example for the commission in the development and implementation of generic promotion campaigns for fruit and vegetables."
The reflection paper also calls for increased integration between the supply chain links and Freshfel warned that producer organisations often compete rather than co-operate with marketing organisations.
Freshfel also made representation to the office of the US trade representative (USTR) this week to oppose the possible imposition of increased import duties in the US on European chicory, mandarins and clementines.
Freshfel sent two position papers to the USTR opposing the proposed imposition of ad valorem duties of up to $0.0136 a kilo on imports of chicory originating in the EU and duties of up to $0.033 a kilo on EU clementines and mandarins.
Delegate general at Freshfel Philippe Binard said the levy of the duties would represent "a serious impediment of EU-US trade flows which would…imperil the provision of the US consumer with these products…in direct contradiction with the overall policy of the US government to promote the consumption of fruits and vegetables."
In 2002, Freshfel successfully lobbied the European Commission for the exclusion of US grapefruit from the list of US products targeted in the framework of the EU-US steel dispute.
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