The burning of a lorry carrying Spanish pigmeat in Brittany last weekend has been roundly condemned by the Spanish farming organisation, ASAJA, in a statement which says that the real “enemies” of Europe’s pig farmers are to be found outside the EU.
Urging French and Spanish pig farmers to “fight together” to reopen the Russian market, ASAJA called on the Spanish government to make a formal complaint to their French counterparts concerning the lorry fire and to report the incident to the EU authorities.
ASAJA added that producers in Europe needed to promote new markets in areas of the world with the highest consumption, such as China, be very attentive to trade negotiations with the US and work on harmonising the rules governing animal health, welfare and the rights of workers.
In further condemning the attack on the lorry, which it said was “perpetrated by a group of French farmers”, ASAJA voiced its regret that “once again this vandalism goes unpunished due to the passivity of the French gendarmerie”.
Copa-Cogeca, meanwhile, issued a tweet on the subject, stating that it believed “violent attacks on Spanish pigmeat imports in France should be resolved peacefully”.