EE countries still playing catch-up

Eastern European member countries still have a long way to go in meeting the requirements of western supermarkets as far as both good agricultural practice and marketing is concerned. And growers should never lose sight of the fact that food safety is an ongoing discipline.

This wake-up call was spelt out forcibly at last week’s EurepGAP conference by Europe’s largest retailers, some of which are seeing their empires extend worldwide.

One eastern European representative raised concern over the lack of standardisation caused by retailers operating their own standards as awareness of EurepGAP gathers momentum.

Marek Maarzec from Metro Poland, pictured above left, said the lack of standardisation causes headaches for buyers in an environment where millions of small growers, while responsible for very substantial volumes, still have little knowledge of international trade.

Tesco’s group sourcing technical manager Nick Ball, pictured right, agreed the industry is only “at the first stage of a very long journey”, in achieving this level of confidence.

Fons Schmid of Dutch retailer Ahold reminded newer EurepGAP members of the need for recognised accreditation. He said: “Just because a country has a good record, it must not think it does not need standards. Food safety is an ongoing everyday concern.

“Some 70 per cent of the food we sell is under our own label. We must have the whole supply chain covered, and know we can recall if the occasion arises. That is what EurepGAP safety standards are all about.”

The discussion made clear that the eastern European countries are at different stages of development in implementing EurepGAP standards, although Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic have all made significant progress.

Poland has been building up a framework for its glasshouse sector with help from Dutch technologists, according to Bozenna Palacha, of its HACCP advisory and training centre in Warsaw.

Twenty-eight farms have already been certified, and more will follow, with the emphasis initially on top fruit and soft fruit and then root and vegetable crops.

Hungary has also seen a marked progression in certification despite various administrative setbacks, said Anita Ferencz of Fruitveb, the national inter-professional organisation representing both growers and traders.