Sunday January 24th 2021
Supplies from Spain in danger
Are fruit and vegetables getting scarce now?
In spring 2020, the lockdown led to empty shelves in some supermarkets. This threatens again, but not with flour, yeast and toilet paper, but with fruit and vegetables.
The German Fruit Trade Association sees the supply of fruit and vegetables from abroad at risk. The reason is the tightening of the corona entry regulation by the federal government, announced the association in Bonn. Within a few hours, the entry requirements for food transport drivers were tightened to such an extent that it was hardly possible to import fruit and vegetables from Spain to Germany, for example.
Association managing director Andreas Brügger said that drivers from the specified high-risk areas such as Portugal and Spain had to present a negative PCR-Corona test that was not older than 72 hours when crossing the border on Sunday. In practice this is hardly feasible. "Spain is currently one of the main supplier countries for fruit and vegetables with a share of around 30 percent," explained Brügger. Together with other associations, the federal government was advised of the possible consequences at an early stage, "unfortunately without result".
The association called for binding regulations across Europe, as already defined in the European Union's Green Lanes Directive. The directive provides for border crossings within the EU with special lanes that enable goods vehicles to pass through quickly. "We need a supply corridor for fresh fruit and vegetables even in times of the Corona, otherwise there is a risk of empty shelves in stores," said Brugger.
Six other EU countries affected
For those arriving from around 25 countries that the Robert Koch Institute classified as "high-risk areas" on Friday, stricter entry conditions apply. In addition to Spain, the stricter measures also affect travelers from six other EU countries: Portugal, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The USA and Egypt are also on the new list of high-risk areas, as are the Balkan countries Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
The classification as a "high risk area" has been in effect since this Sunday. It affects countries where the so-called incidence value is more than 200 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days. Countries with a particular spread of the highly infectious virus mutation are also listed. Currently these are Great Britain, Ireland, Brazil and South Africa. "High risk area" is a new category, so far only "risk areas" have been identified.
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