The summer of 1994 was a wild year on the French border. Images of French farmers overturning strawberry trucks Spanish protests in Toulouse went around the world and the ancient tension between the two countries became a memory for history.
In these 30 years, many things have changed. But that tension is not. That tension has left La Junquera and Hendaye, but it is still there and the institutional-health path demonstrates it.
On March 16, the French Government ordered the withdrawal of all strawberries of Spanish origin sold by two supermarket chains. The reason? Residues of phytosanitary products above the community limits (MRL).
What exactly happened in France? Something relatively common: the withdrawal of certain products due to problems with phytosanitary residues (although the sheet does not make it clear what the specific problem was). What complicates the management of the alert is that, since they were sold in bulk, they did not have easily identifiable batches: all the product has been withdrawn.
Does this mean the alert is false or politically motivated? Nothing of the sort. In principle, the controls They are real and the excess waste is documented. What it does mean is that the historical rivalry is not only summarized in overturned trucks at the border: the regulatory and phytosanitary route is another playing field.
France is not persecuting us in the literal sense of the term, but it is true that Spain has a real problem with this (and we have to get our act together).
A very real problem. According to EurostatSpain is the largest consumer of pesticides in the European Union: we are talking about 75,774 tons in 2020, almost a quarter of the total. It is true that France is following closely, but the distance is increasing.
We must not forget that, recurrently, different products have been blocked for health reasons. He North American veto on fresh pepper between 2022 and 2023 is perhaps the best-known example.
Most of the problems come from imports from third countries and the asymmetry of border controls. But there is much more, the analysis of wastewater has led us to think that There is a black market for pesticides in the country.
Spain facing the future. That is the best way to say it: the world has changed and Spanish leadership has to assume it. The agribusiness has demonstrated an unbeatable capacity to compete, lead and conquer markets; But as they say in the financial world: “Past earnings do not guarantee future returns“.
The withdrawal of a product is an anecdote, but it is also a reminder that there is always a moment when anecdotes become trends (and changing trends is more complicated than it seems).
Image | cyril mzn | Raghavendra Mithare
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