Several thousand tonnes of French apples bound for export are in jeopardy due to sporadic strikes at French ports, according to France’s apple and pear growers association, the ANPP.
The national federation of port and dock workers, part of the CGT union, is in a long-running dispute with the government over early retirement provision.
The ANPP said the strikes, which have disrupted the transit of containers through the country’s ports for several weeks, have “plunged the sector into a catastrophic situation” with exports to Asia, the Middle East and South America at risk.
“It’s imperative that French growers are able to continue to export their produce and honour contracts with customers,” the ANPP said, adding that its members were turning to other ports, such as Barcelona, Antwerp, Rotterdam and Zeebrugge to ship their fruit.
However, these ports have become congested because of the strikes in France and there is no guarantee shipments can be dispatched swiftly. Unions in Belgium and the Netherlands are reportedly urging their members to refuse to handle containers diverted from France.
The FNPD CGT federation decided on 26 January to resume its strikes on Friday until midnight on Monday.
Dockers will strike on 28 and 30 January and port workers, such as crane drivers and gantry operators, will stage stoppages on 29 and 30 January.
So far, sendings to the UK via the Channel Tunnel and the ferry ports have not been affected.
