The president of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries, Emília Cerqueira, was confident that “precautionary measures will be taken” to protect Madeiran bananas and other products from the outermost regions, if the Mercosur agreement is ratified by European Union member states.
The deputy was thus reacting to the concerns expressed by the Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Fisheries, who warned of the potential damage that the agreement could bring to Madeiran producers.
The minister highlighted two major risks associated with the agreement. The first is food safety since there are doubts about the control of the application of pesticides to bananas produced in Latin America. The second risk is related to unfair competition, since the eventual entry of South American bananas into the European market may occur at significantly lower prices, due to the lower production costs which will potentially affect Madeiran banana farmers, who operate in a smaller-scale market and face higher production costs.
Despite admitting that the ratification of the agreement is practically inevitable, Emília Cerqueira believes that special protection will be ensured for bananas from Madeira and the Canary Islands, similar to what already happens with other products originating in the outermost regions.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com