Spanish farmers demand “severe” sanctions against France for boycotting their products at the border | EUROtoday

They demand that the Spanish authorities make a “formal complaint” to the French government

Outrage amongst Spanish farmers after roughly half a thousand French winegrowers this Thursday blocked the passage of Spanish vehicles transporting agricultural products throughout the Le Perthus border. COAG, the Coordinator of Farmers and Livestock Organizations, has demanded “severe sanctions” from the French authorities and the protagonists of this morning’s acts of violence against the vehicles transporting agricultural products from Spain.

“Given the reiteration of these acts of vandalism”, COAG has demanded that the European Union (EU) “effectively and forcefully guarantee the free circulation of Spanish agricultural production in French territory” and has referred to as on the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to make a proper criticism to the Government of France “for its apathy in the face of recurring attacks on our products.”

Miguel Padilla, normal secretary of this agricultural group, has declared that “this type of actions are intolerable” and added that “the profitability crisis suffered by French producers is also being suffered by Spanish farmers”, in relation to the complaints of French winegrowers when it got here to boycotting Spanish agricultural products. “In the background there is a purely commercial strategy and it seeks to separate Spanish producers from the community market when the real culprits are the large distribution chains, mainly French, which abuse their dominant position in the market to impose prices below costs in the field,” Padilla pressured.

French winegrowers complain above all about the bulk wine that arrives in their nation from Spain and which, typically, they remorse, are bottled in France for advertising and marketing. France is the essential purchaser of Spanish bulk wine. Specifically, 32% of the whole quantity exported by Spain and 30% of the turnover of those shipments are destined for France, in response to information from the Spanish Wine Market Observatory (OEMV) for the twelve months between July 2022. and 2023.

For its half, UPA has referred to as the assault on Spanish manufacturing by French farmers “intolerable and unfair” and added that “once again the authorities have not intervened to prevent this outrage. We expect a condemnation.”

pressing motion by the Governments of Spain and France”, this agricultural organization has highlighted.

Specifically, in a video broadcast on social networks, the deputy secretary general of UPA, Montse Cortias, has agreed in a video to reject “the insupportable assaults on the border against Spanish products in the face of the whole passivity of the French safety forces.” In addition, he has asked the European Commission “to take motion on the matter; to the Spanish Government, to contact the French and that these actions not happen once more as a result of this isn’t a protest, however an assault against the Spanish products that we consider that deserves an ample response,” added Cortias.

UPA has highlighted that this is an “unfair” attack on Spanish production by French farmers that deserves “pressing condemnation by the Governments of Spain and France.”

For his part, the president of Asaja in La Rioja, Eduardo Prez, has criticized that “the French police didn’t take measures” to prevent it and has demanded that the authorities “take motion on the matter” and has considered that these types of acts “These are widespread practices with completely different meals products” and this time it has been directed against purchases of Spanish wine in France, notes Efe. “Every 12 months wine purchases are made however, if the value of bulk wine is above the price as established by the Chain Law, there is no such thing as a drawback. We even have inventory issues in Spain, however that has no “has nothing to do with wine purchases between European Union (EU) countries,” mentioned Pérez.

Sources from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) have said that “the Government condemns these acts, which threaten the free circulation of goods within the European Union and which harm the interests of those affected” and have highlighted that They are in touch with the French authorities with the purpose of restoring normality and never reproducing these incidents.