French Farmers Protest Surge in Moroccan Tomato Imports, Demand Action

French producers are fed up with the competition with imported tomatoes. At the initiative of the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions (FNSEA), about ten market gardeners from Loire-Atlantique expressed their frustration on Thursday, September 8, during a symbolic operation carried out at the Beaujoire crossroads in Nantes, reports the local press. On this occasion, they stuck "Morocco" stickers on the tomato trays and denounced the competition with imported tomatoes. Moroccan cherry tomatoes sell for €3.95 per kilo while those produced in France cost €6.25.

"Why do that?", asks Mickael Trichet, president of the FNSEA 44. "We are in full production. The year has been good in terms of production." According to him, a diplomatic agreement that tolerates imports in winter has been broken, because it is not the time to import tomatoes from abroad. "Not right now... It’s too early!", he adds, also pointing out that Moroccan tomatoes "are not subject to the same social, production method and environmental requirements." While the Agec law requires that tomatoes sold in France be placed in cardboard packaging, Moroccan tomatoes are still presented in plastic packaging.