Lidl and Aldi distance themselves from the boycott of the Huelva strawberry. The German distributors rule out stopping supplying from the Spanish orchard despite the pressure exerted from the German country so as not to contribute to the drying up of the Doñana National Park.
From Lidl they emphasize to EL MUNDO their “firm commitment to the Spanish orchard” and anticipate that, despite the controversy, they will continue “working with the strawberry producers of Huelva in the future”.
In this way, the company closes ranks with Spanish producers. And the same from Aldi, which buys most of the strawberries it offers in its supermarkets from suppliers in Huelva due to the “demanding quality of the product.”
The support of the distributors to the sector is not trivial. It coincides with the resignation of the delegation of German parliamentarians to travel to Andalusia to see first-hand the water situation of strawberry irrigation in Doñana, after the Campact association launched a campaign to encourage the main supermarkets operating in Germany to stop to buy the product to Spain.
The campaign has provoked a powerful national political controversy here in Spain, receiving support even from the Prime Minister himself, Pedro Sánchez, and various ministers, including the Vice President of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, and a new clash between the Central executive and the Andalusian government.
The sector has jumped against a campaign that accuses Spanish producers of illegally pumping water in Doñana. The interprofessional of the strawberry, Interfresa, has positioned itself forcefully appealing to “the responsibility of the authorities and public administrations so that they act prudently and in the interest of the general interest” in the face of a campaign that they consider “insidious and harmful” for the whole of an industry.
And in the midst of this controversy, the main companies appealed by the campaign rule out changes in their supply. “The company’s commitment to the quality of our fruit and vegetables has contributed decisively to the export of these products and to the development of the Spanish agricultural sector over the years and will continue to do so in the future,” they say from Lidl. .
Lidl claims to follow “closely” the situation of the cultivation of red berries in the Doñana preserve and seek formulas to “contribute to improving” “cooperation with suppliers”. In this sense, they guarantee that their fruit and vegetable producers are obliged to comply with international standards and that Spanish farms comply with those standards.
Similar positioning of Aldi. From the company they emphasize that they maintain “fair commercial relations”, that they comply with “national legislation throughout the supply chain” and that they require their suppliers to comply with the mandatory standards and certification requirements.
All in all, Aldi recalls its commitment to “work with those producers who, in case of being located in areas classified as water risk, demonstrate reasonable and sustainable use of irrigation water”, while insisting on its “strong commitment to support” to the Spanish agricultural sector.
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