The Assembly of European Fresh Fruit, Vegetable and Flower Regions, AREFLH, has warned that the ongoing problems faced by the continent's fruit and vegetables producers have been compounded by the recent E.coli crisis.
In a statement signed by the group's president Fabrice Verdier and vice-president Luciano Trentini, the organisation said the situation was no longer bearable, with producers facing considerable losses and the potential closure of their operations.
It also called on the European Commission's Management Committee for Fruit and Vegetables, which is due to meet on Thursday 28 July to consider proposed additional compensation for European growers, to make a 'favourable, realistic and effective decision'.
The statement read: 'Following the unprecedented losses undergone by the producers of cucumbers, tomatoes and the other vegetables in May and June, due to the Escherichia coli crisis, the producers of peach and nectarines are confronted, for the third consecutive year, with a very severe market crisis.
'Compounding very insufficient demand, which has been weakened by the economic crisis and the distrust of the consumers, and further by the alarmist press campaigns of last spring, the organised mass-market retailers permanently exert very strong pressure on production prices. These prices are quickly established below production costs.'
The new crisis would undoubtedly have a negative impact on Europe's fruit and vegetable production potential in future, the group argued.
'That is why AREFLH is pleased to see that the Council of Agriculture Ministers, through the proposition of Commissioner Ciolos in Brussels on 19 July, recognises the gravity of the crisis and the important losses that have been suffered by the producers.'
Those losses, it said, were at least €0.25-0.30 per kilo. 'This situation is not bearable any more; it is putting European production in danger!'
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