Differences among growers at the Guarantee Securitam group in Almeria, Spain, have led to a walk-out by 11 of its 17 members.
The group had united growers from the region who were working together to promote the quality and safety of their salads, vegetables and melons on European markets under their own quality seal. But differences of opinion first expressed at a meeting following the group’s presence at Fruit Logistica in Berlin last month have led to the changes.
“The group confronted the basic question of its continuity or dissolution,” Guarantee Securitam said in a statement. “Unfortunately, more than half the members of the group proved either indecisive or not willing to accept the logical conclusions of the analysis of the situation and work done, which is why the rest of the companies were forced to put an end to co-operation with them.”
The main sticking points appear to have been too many different interests, a lack of transparency and co-operation among members as well as unwillingness to commit the necessary financial and other resources to the joint project.
Significantly, Guarantee Securitam members have also found that certification to the UNE155.000 standard is no longer enough to differentiate their products.
But the group has been particularly scathing about the short-term views of its former members. “With regard to those companies that fell back on the argument that ‘after more than two years the work done has not had any effect on sales or prices’, as a reason to decide against Guarantee Securitam, one wonders what their concept of medium/long-term is,” a GS spokesman said. “Aiming to establish a new quality stamp in the European fruit trade within two seasons is not even a sign of extraordinary optimism, but of enormous ignorance.”
The group now counts just Agrupapulpí, Cagasc, Canalex, Casur, Ejidomar and Murgiverde as its members. Its aims going forward are to integrate other norms and standards as well as to look at carrying out some of its own initiatives with regard to environmental protection and integration of immigrant workers.
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