Dutch growers have allegedly stopped giving surplus fruit and vegetables to food banks, Netherlands radio station BNR has reported.
Now the EU compensation scheme for farmers affected by the Russian ban on EU produce has been abandoned because of fraud, farmers have stopped giving away their unsold produce, the radio station said.
Pien de Ruig, of the Dutch foodbank association, expressed her disappointment to BNR: 'We had high expectations but now we are not being given anything,' she said.
Before the compensation scheme was stopped, food banks were being given supplies of apples, pears, bell peppers and tomatoes, De Ruig said.
One of the aims of the compensation scheme had been to encourage growers to give surplus products to food banks, and new rules were brought in temporarily while it existed to try and prevent food waste during the Russian boycott.
