The European tomato is one of the pillars of food security in the European Union. It represents a productive model based on strict health controls, complete traceability, environmental respect and decent working conditions.
However, this model is threatened by unfair and structurally unequal competition against massive imports from countries like Morocco. These products compete with far lower labour costs and use chemicals banned in the European Union, displacing local production.
Added to this is the problem of trade agreements that allow opaque labelling, deceiving consumers about the true geographical origin of food and distorting the market.
Thank you for your participation in protecting the European tomato.
Brussels usually listens to big lobbies, but only reacts when citizens stand up.
THE MANIFESTO IN 5 KEY POINTS
The European tomato is a fundamental pillar of our food security; unfair competition from third countries and opaque trade agreements seriously threaten the survival of the sector. We demand fair rules, consumer transparency and equal treatment.
The best way to support this cause and protect our agricultural model is simple: get informed and act. We invite you to carefully read the points of this manifesto and add your voice by signing our proposal to demand fair rules for everyone.
Ensuring food safety is essential because it is the only way to guarantee that consumers receive safe, sustainable food with complete traceability.
The European sustainable model invests constantemente in R&D, biological control and water efficiency to offer safe, zero-residue food adapted to climate change, while Morocco does not meet these same standards.
Based on the inequality of labour costs (around �10/hour in Europe versus �0.98/hour in Morocco) and the use of pesticides banned in the EU in the neighbouring country, causing a 71% increase in imports since 2012, displacing local producers.
To protect the European tomato, we demand a review of the EU-Morocco Agreement requiring regulatory reciprocity, clear origin labelling without deception, reinforced border controls with automatic safeguards and recognition of the sector as strategic.
Clear labelling is demanded to prevent products from Western Sahara camouflaged under Moroccan names from deceiving the European consumer. This lack of transparency ignores court rulings that annul such agreements and obscures the true origin of food by ignoring that the Sahrawi people and their territory are not Moroccan.
Thank you for your participation in protecting the European tomato.
Brussels usually listens to big lobbies, but only reacts when citizens stand up.
This initiative is jointly driven by tomato producers from the European Union, bringing together farmers from countries with a long agricultural tradition such as Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and Poland. They are the ones who, representing the entire sector, raise their voice in this manifesto to defend European food sovereignty.
At the Berlin fair, on 5 February, the initiative "We Tomato Europe, Don't Betray EU Tomato", driven by FEPEX, is presented. Its objective is to defend EU tomato production and raise awareness about the critical situation facing the sector due to growing competition from third countries, largely caused by the lack of reciprocity in trade agreements.
At the Berlin fair, on 5 February, the initiative "We Tomato Europe, Don't Betray EU Tomato", driven by FEPEX, is presented. Its objective is to defend EU tomato production and raise awareness about the critical situation facing the sector due to growing competition from third countries, largely caused by the lack of reciprocity in trade agreements.
At the Berlin fair, on 5 February, the initiative "We Tomato Europe, Don't Betray EU Tomato", driven by FEPEX, is presented. Its objective is to defend EU tomato production and raise awareness about the critical situation facing the sector due to growing competition from third countries, largely caused by the lack of reciprocity in trade agreements.