This Friday, farmers carried out labeling actions for Moroccan tomatoes in supermarkets in Agen, Rennes, Brest and Avignon to protest against the “unfair competition” of these products “over-represented on the shelves”.
Tomato producers denounce a “situation largely favored by inoperative customs agreements” and by “legislation on information on the origin of fruits and vegetables that is largely insufficient”, in a press release from the Légumes de France organization, a specialized association. of the FNSEA.
“Morocco” stickers on tomatoes
Around ten producers stuck “Morocco” stickers on Friday morning on the tomatoes put on sale at the Bon-Encontre Intermarché, in the Agen area (Lot-et-Garonne).
This operation aimed to “raise consumer awareness and highlight French production”, while the first French tomatoes are arriving on the market, says Nathalie Binda, a farmer from Lot-et-Garonne, who regrets that the origin of cherry tomatoes is “marked in very small letters on the side of the tray”.
Jonas Holaar, a tomato producer in this southwest department often presented as the “orchard of France”, denounces “unfair competition”, citing the very low cost of Moroccan labor and the use of banned pesticides. in France “for more than thirty years”.
In Brest, around twenty farmers carried out a similar action, according to a spokesperson for the Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Vegetables of France organization. Around ten others also stuck orange “Origin Maroc” labels on punnets of cherry tomatoes in two supermarkets in the Rennes metropolis.
“We also denounce this free trade agreement between Europe and Morocco, thanks to which it can export tomatoes to Europe without almost any customs duties,” Ronan Collet, president of the vegetables section of FDSEA 35.