Between Morocco and Spain, the agricultural issue takes a legal turn. The Moroccan Confederation of Agriculture and Rural Development (Comader) filed, Monday March 4, with the provincial prosecutor’s office of Girona, in Catalonia, a complaint against goods originating from the kingdom. Comader, which brings together several hundred Moroccan professional associations, indicates that this is the first time that it has initiated a procedure of this type in a European Union (EU) country.
The filing of the complaint comes as Spanish farmers have attacked numerous shipments of Moroccan fruits and vegetables in recent weeks in Catalonia and Andalusia, which they consider to be unfair competition. The action brought by Comader, however, only relates to a single hit operation, “highly publicized”, carried out on February 27 near Girona. Five trucks registered in Morocco, which were transporting around a hundred tonnes of tomatoes and green beans, were stopped by Spanish farmers, before part of their load was dumped on the road.
Without estimating the material damage suffered that day, Comader said she was especially concerned about the image of Moroccan agricultural products, which, according to her, were victims of a “increasing hostility” and a “unprecedented stigma”. A situation that could have “negative effects on future export contracts”, fears its president, Rachid Benali. Asked about his expectations regarding the complaint filed in Spain, the latter admits that“a conviction, even symbolic, will be an important signal”.
Proof that it takes the matter very seriously, the confederation of Moroccan farmers called on the Madrid law firm Oliva-Ayala, a reference in the bar, which has advised high-ranking personalities in the past. Among them, the Saudi prince and billionaire, Al-Walid Ben Talal, the former boss and president of the Italian Council, Silvio Berlusconi, as well as the former emblematic manager of the Spanish bank Santander, Emilio Botin.
“Disinformation campaigns”
Will France, where Moroccan trucks were also emptied of their load, suffer the same fate as Spain? Comader assures that it does not want to file a complaint against French farmers. “The damage was less significant than in Spain and we maintain friendly relations with the FNSEA [Fédération nationale des syndicats d’exploitants agricoles] », slide several Moroccan professionals. Rachid Benali, however, plans an exchange “frank and direct” with its president, Arnaud Rousseau.
The two men were to meet this Wednesday March 6 at the end of the day in Rabat, where the French trade unionist is passing through – he is attending a meeting of the board of directors of Lesieur Cristal, a Moroccan subsidiary of the Avril group, which he directs, before participating in a seminar on oilseeds. The case of several departmental members of the FNSEA was to be addressed during this exchange: Comader accuses them of carrying out “disinformation campaigns” against Moroccan agricultural products.
Phytosanitary standards, which Spanish and French demonstrators consider less restrictive in Morocco, are at the center of a debate where each side passes the buck. Moroccan professional organizations repeat that the products they export “meet the regulatory requirements of destination markets”. And points to the reduction of carcinogenic substances used in Morocco, citing in particular thiacloprid, which was banned in the kingdom from 2021, a year after the EU banned it – France suspended the importation of fruits in February and fresh vegetables that have been treated with this insecticide.
Chemical inputs, for which the EU recently decided not to renew approval, nevertheless remain authorized in Morocco, such as clofentezine and triflusulfuron-methyl, two pesticides suspected of being endocrine disruptors. The National Food Safety Office (Onssa) has not yet ruled on the end of their use.
“Protectionist overtones”
The dispute between Moroccan and Spanish farmers now goes beyond the strict commercial framework. The spokesperson for the Moroccan government indicated on February 29 that “diplomatic channels have been activated to protect Moroccan agricultural products and facilitate their access to European Union markets”. This announcement follows the much-discussed exit of the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs.
During the press briefing held on February 26 with his French counterpart, Stéphane Séjourné, Nasser Bourita castigated “a geopolitics of fear and rejection”. “We are attacking agricultural products coming from the South, but we forget that the European Union generates a surplus in agricultural matters of nearly 600 million euros with Morocco,” he added, emphasizing that the “protectionist overtones” which are rising in Europe are not a commercial problem but “of political perceptions”. Words welcomed by Moroccan farmers, who currently say they are opposed to any action “retaliation against Spanish agricultural exports” towards Morocco.