News that the European Commission is planning to cut red tape, in a move that should benefit fresh produce, is welcome at a time when eurocrats are making few friends in the trade.
From neonicotinoids to DPA, the EC seems to be making an art form out of making life as difficult as possible for the production industry.
Certainly, the reaction of traders to the DPA decision has been one of widespread dismay, with predictions that European supermarkets could find shelves empty of many popular apples next summer.
It’s hard enough as it is to convince non-European operators that the EU is still a place worth trading and that they shouldn’t just turn their backs and look east.
Local-sourcing enthusiasts and anti-air miles campaigners might rejoice, but a situation where consumption of fresh produce falls because of non-availability of popular lines is not a situation that’s helpful to the bigger picture.
Supermarkets are already keen to source as much local produce as possible, and long may that continue. But not everything can be grown locally all-year round and the EC needs to consider how a rising population is going to be fed.
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