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17-01-2024, 07:32 PM
Radio Sintonia:
The Association of Farmers and Ranchers of the Canary Islands rejects the reopening of the connection between Fuerteventura and Tarfaya.
The Association of Farmers and Ranchers of the Canary Islands (Asaga Canarias Asaja) rejects the resumption of the maritime connection between Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura) and the port of Tarfaya (Morocco) scheduled for this year, according to the meeting between the Government of the Canary Islands and the Alawi delegation last week. The agricultural sector fears that the recovery of this line will lead to the massive entry of agricultural and livestock goods of Moroccan origin to the islands and, with it, the spread of pests and diseases, both phytosanitary and epizootic, which could lead to losses in local production, as well as pose a danger to the livestock herd.
Asaga Canarias Asaja recalls that in Morocco there are certain plant pathogens such as the tomato rugoso virus, recently confirmed by the phytosanitary authorities of that country, or the false moth (Thaumatotibia leucotreta), detected in some fruits imported to the peninsula, "which represent a serious threat to our agriculture by affecting dozens of tree species and various crops such as avocado, vineyard, olive, persimmon, pomegranate, pepper, tomato or eggplant."
They consider that the possible entry and spread of this type of insect would also represent a breach of the Order of 12 March 1987 on the import, export and transit of plants and products. This regulation acts, in theory, as a barrier to stop the arrival of agricultural pests and diseases in the Canary Islands.
Another aspect that generates alarm in the sector is the presence of epizootics in Morocco such as foot-and-mouth disease, which is highly contagious, which affects livestock and especially ruminants. Although the latest outbreaks have been controlled, it is unknown to what extent it can continue to be transmitted. It is also suggested that behind the epizootic haemorrhagic disease (EHE), which affects cattle on the peninsula, there is a mosquito present in Morocco. They assure that "it must be understood that the hygiene, feeding and animal welfare measures required of Moroccan producers are more lax than those required of community farmers".
Asaga Canarias Asaja focuses on the lack of inspectors at the Border Inspection Points (PIF) of the Canary Islands located in each port of the Archipelago. This means that customs control of the movement of people and goods from this African country cannot be guaranteed. It is a matter of concern that, as they are not containers but road transport, such as trucks mostly, any inspection or surveillance will be even more difficult, and once they arrive in Puerto del Rosario, the goods introduced can move freely throughout the rest of the islands.
Against this backdrop, Asaga Canarias Asaja demands that the Government of the Canary Islands carry out a thorough and in-depth analysis of the repercussions that the reopening of this maritime line may have on the Canary Islands countryside, far from that benevolent image linked exclusively to promoting economic, social and cultural relations between Morocco and the Canary Islands. "Limiting ourselves only to seeing the benefits will not allow us to see the damage that in the short and medium term this measure can bring to an economic sector such as the agricultural and livestock activity of the islands," warns the president of this association, Ángela Delgado.
The Association of Farmers and Ranchers of the Canary Islands rejects the reopening of the connection between Fuerteventura and Tarfaya.
The Association of Farmers and Ranchers of the Canary Islands (Asaga Canarias Asaja) rejects the resumption of the maritime connection between Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura) and the port of Tarfaya (Morocco) scheduled for this year, according to the meeting between the Government of the Canary Islands and the Alawi delegation last week. The agricultural sector fears that the recovery of this line will lead to the massive entry of agricultural and livestock goods of Moroccan origin to the islands and, with it, the spread of pests and diseases, both phytosanitary and epizootic, which could lead to losses in local production, as well as pose a danger to the livestock herd.
Asaga Canarias Asaja recalls that in Morocco there are certain plant pathogens such as the tomato rugoso virus, recently confirmed by the phytosanitary authorities of that country, or the false moth (Thaumatotibia leucotreta), detected in some fruits imported to the peninsula, "which represent a serious threat to our agriculture by affecting dozens of tree species and various crops such as avocado, vineyard, olive, persimmon, pomegranate, pepper, tomato or eggplant."
They consider that the possible entry and spread of this type of insect would also represent a breach of the Order of 12 March 1987 on the import, export and transit of plants and products. This regulation acts, in theory, as a barrier to stop the arrival of agricultural pests and diseases in the Canary Islands.
Another aspect that generates alarm in the sector is the presence of epizootics in Morocco such as foot-and-mouth disease, which is highly contagious, which affects livestock and especially ruminants. Although the latest outbreaks have been controlled, it is unknown to what extent it can continue to be transmitted. It is also suggested that behind the epizootic haemorrhagic disease (EHE), which affects cattle on the peninsula, there is a mosquito present in Morocco. They assure that "it must be understood that the hygiene, feeding and animal welfare measures required of Moroccan producers are more lax than those required of community farmers".
Asaga Canarias Asaja focuses on the lack of inspectors at the Border Inspection Points (PIF) of the Canary Islands located in each port of the Archipelago. This means that customs control of the movement of people and goods from this African country cannot be guaranteed. It is a matter of concern that, as they are not containers but road transport, such as trucks mostly, any inspection or surveillance will be even more difficult, and once they arrive in Puerto del Rosario, the goods introduced can move freely throughout the rest of the islands.
Against this backdrop, Asaga Canarias Asaja demands that the Government of the Canary Islands carry out a thorough and in-depth analysis of the repercussions that the reopening of this maritime line may have on the Canary Islands countryside, far from that benevolent image linked exclusively to promoting economic, social and cultural relations between Morocco and the Canary Islands. "Limiting ourselves only to seeing the benefits will not allow us to see the damage that in the short and medium term this measure can bring to an economic sector such as the agricultural and livestock activity of the islands," warns the president of this association, Ángela Delgado.