Good to see two of Spain’s largest fresh produce organisations have put any territorial differences aside to collaborate on a cross-Europe promotion that – it is hoped – will go some way towards restoring consumer confidence in Spanish fruits and vegetables.

At a press conference held today at Proexport’s headquarters in Murcia, the two groups agreed to allocate a joint €600,000 to the initiative (dubbed, ‘the Campaign to restore the increase in consumption of vegetables in Europe’), which already has the backing of the Spanish Ministry of Rural Affairs – better known as MARM.

The organisations told journalists that MARM will make a representation to the European Union on 16 September to request funding to hit the target amount for the campaign – a projected €3m to cover a three-year period.

Let’s hope Europe gives the initiative all its backing and helps the Spanish fresh produce sector to recover from the devastating effects of June’s E.coli outbreak in Germany, which was initially (and wrongly) linked to Spanish cucumbers.

Pictured in the photo are (left to right) Hortyfruta’s María José Pardo alongside Proexport’s Juan Marin Bravo and Fernando Gómez.