United States authorises reopening of Spanish pepper market

The publication of this ruling brings to a close an intense negotiation process between both administrations which began back in December 2015, following the interruption of exports at that time based on phytosanitary grounds.

Immediately following the closure of this market, technicians from the Ministry for Agriculture and the Regional Government of Andalusia visited the affected greenhouses and proceeded to review compliance with the required conditions and the protocol for exportation, in collaboration with the producer and exporter sector, in order to gather all the information required by the U.S. Inspection Service.

The exchange of technical information between the Ministry for Agriculture and APHIS, in mid-November, ended with a visit from a delegation of technicians from the United States Inspection Service, in which the soundness and reliability of the Spanish phytosanitary control and certification system was made manifestly clear, as confirmed by APHIS itself.

The Ministry's computerised application for the management of CEXVEG (Foreign Trade in Vegetables) imports and exports was highly valued by the U.S. Inspection Service, in particular, during the visit, as a key element in control and management, which provides confidence in the Spanish phytosanitary control and certification system.

The prevailing trust between the two administrations, together with the results obtained on this visit and previous ones by the United States inspection authorities have highlighted the seriousness of the Spanish export management and certification system, as well its ability to resolve incidents, enabling it to continue offering the necessary phytosanitary guarantees.

Immediate opening up of exports

The ministerial department's preliminary organisation of the export campaign included the work and collaboration of regional government and the sector, which means that now that official authorisation has been granted, the season's crop can be immediately exported. Hence, although the authorised period for exports runs from 1 December to 30 April, the most interesting period for the sector in terms of exportation is the month of December and early January.

The significance of the exportation of peppers from Spain to the USA is qualitative, as it is a highly demanding strategic market, which has been stable for many years with average annual export figures of around 300 tonnes.