Dutch authorities blocked a delivery of watermelons from Spain after finding they contained excessive residues of a banned chemical.
A shipment of watermelons from Spain has been stopped in the Netherlands because it showed traces of a harmful pesticide, flunicamide. This product is used to control insect pests, but it can also cause serious adverse effects on human health, including death.
The European Food and Feed Alert System RASFF reported the presence of this pesticide in Spanish watermelons last week. The incident comes as Morocco and Spain engage in a trade battle over melon exports to Europe.
The Spanish authorities have not yet reacted to this case. It is not known whether the contaminated watermelons were offered for sale or consumed by citizens.
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The Spanish melon sector feels threatened by competition from Morocco, which offers cheaper and earlier products, but which would be accused of unfair practices. A Spanish agricultural union recently denounced the discovery of another pesticide in a Moroccan melon, which would be banned in Spain. The authorities of the Kingdom acknowledged that some producers had used a pesticide, but claimed that it was an isolated batch of watermelons, which had been withdrawn from the market, by ONSSA.
European services carry out random checks at borders, but cannot check all shipments.
Morocco and Spain are facing a problem of drought, which affects their agricultural production. Exporting watermelons is not in their medium to long term interest, as it can harm their brand image and sustainability. It would be wiser for them to cooperate to face climate challenges, which represent a threat to global food security.
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