• Enrique Bellés (Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias) hands over the presidency of the interprofessional to Inmaculada Sanfeliu (Private Trade-related OP’s, from CGC), who assumes this responsibility for the second time.
• The regional agriculture authority, José Luis Aguirre, has expressed his support and collaboration with Intercitrus’ action in defense of plant health and to ensure that “Spanish production competes on equal terms with that of third countries in our natural market, the EU.”
• Sanfeliu advocates for promoting actions to encourage consumption and to showcase the benefits of consuming citrus fruits and 100% squeezed juices, as well as the “European quality and food safety standards associated with Spanish oranges and mandarins compared to the repeated non-compliance in this area from third countries’ offerings.”

The Ordinary General Assembly of the Spanish Citrus Interprofessional (Intercitrus) – closed this morning by the Valencian Minister of Agriculture, José Luis Aguirre – has elected Inmaculada Sanfeliu (Association of Integrated Producer Organizations in the Citrus Management Committee, CGC) as its new president, taking over from Enrique Bellés (Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias). Sanfeliu, assuming this responsibility for the second time, has clarified the strategic priorities of the new mandate: advancing in terms of reciprocity against the citrus offerings from third countries, preventing the introduction of more foreign pests, and in this regard, being “especially vigilant” regarding compliance with cold treatment for oranges from third countries affected by ‘False Codling Moth’, excluding citrus fruits and orange juice from the pending ratification of the EU-Mercosur Agreement, and, as far as possible, minimizing the effects of drought: “We cannot let the orchards die because of a few bad years, the situation in areas like the Guadalquivir Basin or the Guadiana Basin is critical and we need the involvement of all administrations to save as much richness as possible,” she warned. Bellés, for his part, has assessed this past season and emphasized the priority for the interprofessional to “reach an agreement from the beginning of the campaign that allows it, first, to organize the contracting framework, to immediately focus its efforts on developing a communication and promotion plan for the consumption of Spanish oranges and mandarins in order to reverse the decline in demand in the domestic market and to highlight their differential attributes as the basis for a healthy and sustainable diet, taking advantage of the tools that the EU makes available for promotional campaigns.”

Sanfeliu, on her part, encouraged members of the interprofessional in her speech “to generate consensus on those issues where internal debate will be most fruitful,” referring to the need to work towards the mentioned goals. Along with this, she pointed out that “it is time for commitment, to rid ourselves of the burdens that prevent us from moving forward.” “We have already demonstrated that we can act as a lobby, that we can work together, achieve necessary and beneficial achievements for all, and consolidate ourselves as a spokesperson for an entire sector,” she added. Next, the also president of the CGC expressed support for promoting a new extension of regulations to finance promotional actions “not only to encourage consumption but also to highlight to the market the properties of citrus fruits and natural juices, the European standards of quality and food safety associated with Spanish oranges and mandarins in contrast to the repeated failures in this matter of the offerings from non-EU countries.”

The regional agriculture authority, José Luis Aguirre n his part, has offered his collaboration to the interprofessional for the achievement of these goals. In this regard, the member of the Valencian Government has made it clear that Intercitrus “is necessary” and has advocated for unanimity in decision-making within the interprofessional to strengthen agreements on plant health, “to ensure that Spanish production competes on equal terms with that of third countries in our natural market, the EU.”

After describing the achievement of the so-called cold treatment as a “landmark and a paradigm shift in EU plant health,” the new head of the interprofessional has appealed for the assistance of Aguirre himself and the Spanish government to ensure that this treatment is applied “effectively and in accordance with the regulations” in this campaign. She also urged for its extension to all threatened species (including mandarins and grapefruits, which are also hosts of the False Codling Moth), and to prevent the irregularities of 2022 from recurring the regional agriculture authority has expressed his explicit support and collaboration for these goals. 

Advancing reciprocity, that is, ensuring that imported oranges and mandarins are produced under the same conditions as those within the EU, is another major goal. In this regard, Sanfeliu has referred to two specific issues: the repeated alerts for pesticide residues triggered by citrus imports from Turkey or Egypt and the ratification of the EU Trade Agreement with the Mercosur countries (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay). “What is happening is shameful and a testament to the EU’s double standards. It is time to act and demand accountability for the non-compliance with EU pesticide regulations, for failing to enforce or demand compliance when it comes to imports from third countries, and for endangering the food safety of European consumers,” Sanfeliu emphasized, highlighting both the Turkish case and, in environmental matters, the citrus offerings from Brazil and Argentina. Regarding the mentioned trade agreement with Mercosur, the head of the interprofessional has also emphasized that the dismantling of tariffs for orange juice from Brazil would result in a reduction in the price received by the farmer for the fruit and would threaten to “eliminate” the Spanish juice processing industry. Therefore, she has defended the stance exhibited by France, which has so far vetoed the confirmation of the treaty because it considers it “incompatible” with the European Green Deal.

In this regard, and as long as there are no guarantees that the conditions intended to be imposed within the EU are extended outside of it, Sanfeliu has considered it “unavoidable” to postpone the implementation of the proposed Regulation on Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products. This regulation aims to reduce pesticide use by 50% before 2030 and involves the total prohibition of the use of these chemical products in so-called ‘sensitive areas’. “The reduction objectives and complete prohibitions are a misguided approach, not only because they will entail massive production losses and a collapse in yields but also because they will lead to a substitution effect with foreign fruit,” she concluded.