Moroccan Farmers Condemn Attacks on Tomato Shipments in France

Responding to the call of the FDSEA, Légumes de France and the Young Farmers of the Pyrénées-Orientales to demonstrate against the import and presence on French shelves of products of Moroccan origin during the French production period, many Breton, Provençal or Nantes region farmers participated on Thursday in a lightning operation at the Perpignan-Sud toll booth, where a filtering barrier was installed. The operation consists of checking imported fruits and vegetables from Morocco, particularly tomatoes. Several trucks were thus scanned. The cargo of cherry tomatoes from one of the trucks was partially unloaded onto the road. The operation did not stop at the Perpignan-Sud toll booth. The French producers toured the aisles of a nearby supermarket. At the origin of this operation, a "unfair competition" favored by the trade agreements between France and Morocco, denounced the French vegetable producers.

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"These three organizations wrongly denounce unfair competition and demand more visible labeling for French consumers," reacted the Comader in a press release, recalling that Moroccan tomatoes are exported to France within a legal framework, namely the agricultural agreement linking Morocco and the European Union. Moroccan tomatoes "fully meet the applicable standards and requirements and are subject to controls by the European health authorities before entering the French and European markets," the confederation assures, also firmly condemning the "incomprehensible" attacks against Moroccan tomatoes. It also denounced "the lack of rigor of the French competent authorities in the face of the worrying multiplication of relentless attacks against agricultural products of Moroccan origin".

The Comader also sought to justify the presence of Moroccan tomatoes on the French market. According to it, it aims to make up for a production shortfall at this time of year. In addition, Moroccan companies and exporters provide hundreds of jobs in terms of logistics on the Perpignan site, the confederation also assures.