The Almeria agri-food sector is grappling with challenges posed by imported goods that fail to meet the EU's stringent health and safety standards, highlighted by recent incidents involving contaminated strawberries and pesticide-laden peppers from countries like Morocco, Turkey, and Egypt. The European Union's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (Rasff) has reported an increase in alerts, underscoring the need for stricter customs controls and a unified approach to monitoring imports. Industry professionals, including Andrés Góngora of COAG Almería, are calling for the European Union to enforce stronger regulations and establish a unified customs unit to ensure that imported products adhere to the same high standards as those produced within the EU, addressing the current disparities in surveillance and control across different EU countries.