The Association of Producers and Exporters of Strawberries of Huelva, Freshuelva, will lead a joint action before the European Union to advance in the harmonization of the regulations on the active substances authorized for community farmers and "end the existing differences between countries that share the same climatic conditions."
As the organization has pointed out in a press release, this demand has been positioned among the priority issues that Freshuelva has conveyed this Tuesday to the institutional representatives who have visited their stand during the inaugural day of Fruit Attraction 2026.
Freshuelva, which holds the representation of Spain through Fepex in the Contact Group of Strawberries from France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, intends to formally present this proposal at the next meeting of the group, scheduled for early 2027 in the province of Huelva. The goal is for the four countries to articulate a joint position that can subsequently be elevated to the community authorities.
The proposal already has the support of representatives from the sector in France, Italy, and Portugal, who "share the concern over the progressive disappearance of effective active substances and the difficulties in obtaining new tools to address pests and diseases."
In its last meeting, the Contact Group decided to request the European Commission the real application of Regulation 1107/2009 and its mechanism of mutual recognition by climatic zones. This seeks for the authorization of a phytosanitary solution in a member state to be accepted "in an agile manner" in the rest of the countries of the same zone, which "present similar agronomic and climatic conditions."
Freshuelva understands that the "unequal" application of this regulation causes "differences between European producers who compete within the same market and face similar agronomic problems." In the association's view, harmonization takes on "even greater importance" in a context of reduction of available active substances, a circumstance that particularly affects crops such as red fruits, which "need to have effective and properly evaluated tools to respond to the emergence of pests and diseases and maintain the viability of the farms."
The same conditions to compete
Freshuelva also wants to link this claim with another of "the great challenges" of the sector: the growing competition from productions from third countries. The entity claims the open and exporting nature of Spanish agriculture, but emphasizes that it is "essential" that the products entering the community market do so "under conditions equivalent to those required of European farmers".
Producers in the European Union work under a strict regulatory framework in food safety, traceability, sustainability, and use of active substances, which provides the consumer with "the maximum guarantees about the products that reach the market".
Freshuelva argues that these obligations must also be reflected in imports to "avoid competitive imbalances and ensure comparable rules for all operators competing in the European market".
Institutional support at Fruit Attraction
During the first day of Fruit Attraction, Freshuelva has presented these demands to representatives of the various administrations that have visited its space in pavilion 9 of Ifema Madrid.
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Luis Planas, has visited the Freshuelva stand, where he held a meeting with sector spokespersons. The president of the association, José Antonio Martín, conveyed to him the "need" to advance in the European harmonization of regulations on active substances and to "defend balanced competition conditions against productions from third countries".
He also presented the "needs" of the sector regarding hydraulic infrastructure and the availability of labor for the upcoming campaign.
The Councilor for Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development of the Junta de Andalucía, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco, has also accompanied the sector at the fair, discussing with Freshuelva the main current challenges faced by red fruit producers and the advisability of maintaining a coordinated stance before national and community institutions.
The president of the Provincial Council of Huelva, David Toscano, along with the deputy Carmen Díaz, has also expressed the provincial institution's support for the sector on this first day.
Through the space of Freshuelva have passed, in addition, the Andalusian parliamentarian and president of the Popular Party of Huelva, Manuel Andrés González; the socialist deputies Gabriel Cruz and María Luisa Faneca, accompanied by the senator María Eugenia Limón; the provincial deputy of Vox, Miguel Ángel Sánchez; the general secretary of Agro-food Industries, Rural Development and Companion Animals of the Junta de Andalucía, José Carlos Álvarez; the delegate of the Junta in Huelva, Berta Centeno; the delegate of Agriculture, Fishing, Water and Rural Development, Álvaro Burgos; as well as mayors of various municipalities in Huelva.
Wide business presence in the sector
Alongside the institutional agenda, the inaugural day of Fruit Attraction has been marked by intense commercial activity from the red fruit companies of Huelva. Freshuelva once again has its main space in pavilion 9, stand 9E06, and the annex 9F06, where Global Berry, Frutas El Pinar and Fres Molinero carry out their commercial work.
In pavilion 9, numerous associated companies also concentrate with their own stand, among them Fresón de Palos, Moguer Cuna de Platero, Grufesa, Fruta de Andalucía, Plus Berries, Surexport, Doñana 1998, SAT Algaida, Surberry Growers, Masià Ciscar and Berryworld Group. Frutas Borja and Garrido y García SCA participate within the space of SAT Frescitrus; Bonafrú does so in that of Unica Fresh; and Fresas Nuevos Materiales (FNM) also has a presence in this pavilion.
The business representation is completed with Driscoll's, located in pavilion 10; Frutas Esther and Frutas Maripi-Uniland, in pavilion 7; and El Pinar Medioambiente, in pavilion 5. Freshuelva faces the remaining two days of Fruit Attraction with an intense agenda of professional meetings, institutional appointments, and commercial contacts aimed at strengthening the position of the red fruits of Huelva in national and international markets.