The sugar beet sector expresses its concern about the unequal treatment it suffers compared to Ukraine and Mercosur

In these days when progress is being made in the negotiations between EU-Mercosur and the Trade Agreement with Ukraine, the General Association of Sugar Manufacturers (AGFAE) has denounced the concern of the sugar beet sector "for the unequal treatment they suffer with respect to imports from Ukraine and Mercosur" The association recalls that this sugar beet sector is facing "regulatory changes and modifications of the rules of the game in the international panorama that threaten the competitiveness and long-term viability of the sector in Spain and in the EU". Among the most worrying regulatory changes is the prohibition of the use of certain active ingredients to combat pests and diseases of the crop. This prohibition represents an extra cost for the sugar beet grower, who must try to find alternative resources at a higher cost and in many cases the loss or reduction of the harvest because these resources are ineffective and even more environmentally harmful.