Farmers hold protests in supermarkets against the import of Moroccan tomatoes

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, which are “over-represented on the shelves.”

Tomato producers condemn “a situation largely contributed by ineffective customs agreements” and “legislation on the origin of fruits and vegetables, which is largely insufficient,” in a press release from Légumes de France, a specialized association of FNSEA. .

Morocco stickers on tomatoes

On Friday morning, about a dozen growers affixed stickers reading “Morocco” to tomatoes for sale at the Bon-Encontre Intermarché in the Agen (Lot-et-Garonne) region.

The aim of the operation was to “raise consumer awareness and highlight French production” while the first French tomatoes hit 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 edge tray.”

Jonas Holaar, a tomato grower in this southwestern department often called the “garden 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, about twenty farmers held a similar action, said a representative of the Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Vegetables of France organization. About ten others also stuck orange labels reading “Origin from Morocco” on baskets of cherry tomatoes at two supermarkets in the metropolis of Rennes.

“We also denounce this free trade agreement between Europe and Morocco, thanks to which it can export tomatoes to Europe with virtually no customs duties,” Ronan Collet, president of the vegetable section of FDSEA 35.