Rabat – The Head of Vox’s Delegation to the European Parliament Jorge Buxade has denounced the recently-approved EU grant for the modernization of Morocco’s agriculture and forestry sectors, arguing that the aid is “a mockery” for Spanish farmers.
On Tuesday, the European Commission allocated €115 million to support the development of Morocco’s agricultural and forestry sectors in line with the country’s “Green Generation” and “Moroccan forests” strategies.
The “indecent” grant, Buxade argued on Thursday, is making Spanish farmers abandon their agricultural activities, leaving the continent’s food security in the hands of partners such as Morocco and Turkey.
The MEP further argued that the increase in production costs and “the thousands of environmental obligations” imposed on Spanish farmers have put the local agricultural ecosystem in a disadvantageous position compared to imports from countries such as Morocco.
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The Vox member accused the Spanish government of “hypocrisy,” stressing that the previous governments have been indifferent to the situation of the “Spanish countryside for years.”
“We are not going to stop until we stop this hypocrisy,” the politician said in a message aimed at Spanish farmers, adding that his party would always protect the farmers and ranchers who “guarantee” the country’s “food sovereignty.”
Bruxade’s comments add to a series of European complaints against the importation of Moroccan agricultural products.
For years, European farmers have claimed that Moroccan vegetables and fruits exported to the EU do not comply with regional quality standards. These allegations seek to protect local production from foreign competition.
The ongoing economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a series of heatwaves, and rising fertilizer and energy prices have further fueled political opposition to Moroccan goods, particularly in Spain and France.
In this context, some European agricultural producers are planning to relocate their production south to Morocco, in order to benefit from the country’s warm weather and experienced harvest workers. Every year, Morocco sends thousands of seasonal workers to European fields ahead of the harvest season.
In September, CEO of the British Growers Association Jack Ward told Reuters that the European production of fruit and vegetables “will move further and further south, down through Spain and into Morocco and bits of Africa.”
Ward cited rising production costs as one of the main reasons for this move.
With energy bills and fertilizer prices reaching new highs over the past months, some farmers in France, Spain, Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands have opted to not use their greenhouses this season in order to cut costs.
