Italian and Spanish peach and nectarine growers have said their sector is in crisis as prices plunge to just half of last year’s levels.
The European Commission is studying the possibility of introducing immediate crisis management measures to aid beleaguered producers.
Spanish grower-exporter federation Fepex said a delegation from France, Italy and Spain has asked the commission to increase withdrawal payments temporarily to bring the market back into balance.
Producers in Italy have said that part of the problem is a loss of confidence in fresh produce following the E. coli outbreaks, but also the overlap in output from different production areas brought on by unseasonal rainfall and temperatures across Europe.
Tiberio Rabboni, the agriculture councillor at the regional authority for Emilia Romagna - the main stonefruit production area in Italy - said: “We need an intervention measure that will act across the market and include all producers, whether they are members of producer organisations or not.”
Spanish growers have complained that prices have now fallen below their costs of production.
One analyst added: “If they stay at this level, the viability of the future production of peaches and nectarines will undoubtedly be seriously threatened.”
On Southampton wholesale market, Italian peaches and nectarines made just 400p for cartons of 26s and 28s while 10x750g punnets commanded no more than 800p.
