LA UNIÓ de Llauradors calls for the suspension of fruit and vegetable imports from Turkey after receiving a daily European health alert for using active ingredients not authorized in the EU, Spain

Vegetables

Diana Gomez

Published Mar 14, 2022

LA UNIÓ de Llauradors has asked the European Commission and the Government of Spain to close imports of fruit and vegetables from Turkey until an audit is carried out. Given the numerous health alerts detected for containing actively unauthorized in the EU or observing Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) higher than those authorized in the EU, its results are obtained. In this sense, LA UNIÓ has sent two separate letters to the DG Sante, responsible for EU health and food safety policies, and the General Directorate of Agricultural Production Health of the Ministry of Agriculture, transferring a series of requests to them.

After many months of repeated complaints due to the numerous health alerts that the RASFF (European Food Control System) was detecting, the EC increased the frequency of controls on these imports in November. Specifically, the frequency of rules to be carried out on oranges, mandarins, clementines, wilkings, and similar citrus hybrids and lemons, as well as peppers and pomegranates from Turkey, was increased to 20%. Controls were also increased for other products such as hazelnuts up to 20%, pistachios, and grape leaves up to 50%. Despite the alerts, grapefruit did not enter into this increase in the frequency of controls.

The agricultural organization calls for an increase in the frequency of physical and identity checks up to 50% for all Turkish fruit and vegetables and also to put an end to the tariff asymmetry since while Turkey exports to the EU with a tariff of 20 %, 54% is applied to Spain to export to Turkey.