The countryside attacks Brussels for the plan to eliminate tariffs on half a million tons of American almonds and walnuts

The fine print of the commercial agreement between USA and the European Union (EU) continues to collect criticism in the Spanish countryside. The latest controversy is related to the proposal for a European Regulation, which the community institutions are discussing these days and which aims to establish a 0% tariff quota of 500,000 tons for American nuts (almond, walnut…). Agrarian organizations such as Unión de Uniones warn that this would facilitate the entry of more imports from places like California at zero cost and would threaten the viability of many farms, favoring rural exodus. Political parties like Commitments They share this vision and have already presented amendments to the articles in the European Parliament to try to eliminate this exception.

Fernando Durá, member of the executive commission of La Unió Llauradora i Ramadera (Union of Unions), warns that imports of shelled fruits such as almonds and walnuts from areas such as California have grown 6% annually since 2000 until reaching an average of more than 450,000 tons in the last five years. It is a figure very close to the quota proposed by Brussels. “If approved, “will encourage the importation of more products at zero cost”stands out in statements to this medium. Durá does not hesitate to speak of “savage” and asks both the Government and the Spanish MEPs to oppose what he considers to be a total liberalization of the market.

Good expectations for the 2025-2026 campaign

Looking ahead to the 2025-2026 campaign, which began last September, the nuts sector table of the Ministry of Agriculture meeting this Monday estimated that the cultivation of the shelled almonds can reach 467,521 tons. This would be 24% more than in 2024-2025 and 8% above the average of the last five campaigns. If these calculations are confirmed, it would be the highest production in the historical series after two years marked by frosts and droughts. Similarly, the representatives of the sector also confirmed the export muscle of productions such as almonds, which last year sold abroad for an amount of 300 million euros58% more than in 2023. It should be remembered that, currently, almonds account for more than 90% of Spanish nut exports.

“The European field cannot pay for the errors of a complacent trade policy”, Vicent Marzà (MEP for Compromis)

“A complacent trade policy”

The Compromis MEP and former Minister of Education of the Valencian Community (2015-2022) Vicent Marzá, shares the opinion of La Unió and calls for this quota to be eliminatedso that American nuts remain subject to the current general tariff of between 7 and 12%. To this end, Marzá has presented amendments to the Regulations. Specifically, he has proposed the introduction of “a safeguard clause” to protect European producers and ensure balanced competition. A measure that would be activated if there is serious damage, and that contemplates the temporary suspension of the future Regulation. The way in which it would be determined whether or not there is such damage would be through “a quantitative examination”, that analyzes the behavior of imports. In Compromis they set the ‘border’ at an increase of more than 10% in the volume of purchases from the US, or when the average price falls above this percentage compared to the year before the European regulation came into force.

Marzá maintains that “the European field cannot pay for the errors of an accommodating trade policy” and demands that nuts be excluded from the 0% quota. “This tariff reduction directly threatens our farmers,” says the Compromis MEP, who considers that the tariff agreement with Trump is “profoundly unbalanced and harms productive sectors Europeans, especially agricultural ones.” The former Valencian Minister of Education believes that the EU cannot accept what he describes as “unequal treatment that benefits the United States at the expense of our producers.”

“With a 0% quota there will be more abandonment of fields, more exodus from rural areas and a greater number of fires. Therefore, we insist on the issue of origin in labeling so that people stay in their towns”, Fernando Durá (La Unió Llauradora i Ramadera- Unión de Uniones)

Almond ‘made in the USA’ for our nougats?

The representative of this agricultural organization also fears that “more almonds from the United States will be used to make nougat, taking advantage of the fact that as a processed product “There is no obligation to indicate the origin of the raw material”but simply if the final product is made in the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Turrón de Alicante or Jijona. For Durá, the most artisanal industry does highlight its labeling that uses Spanish almonds or honey: “It is not a fraud, but creates confusion and deceives the consumer“he points out.

From Unión de Uniones and La Unió they also warn against the impact on the profitability of agricultural operations: “With a 0% quota there will be more abandonment of fields, more exodus from rural areas and greater number of fires. For this reason, we insist on the issue of origin in labeling so that people stay in their towns,” highlights Durá.

This farmer emphasizes that they are not asking that their production be subsidized “but rather that it be valued, and if it is missing, it be brought from outside but under equal conditions to those required of European producers (health, food safety…)”. In any case, the member of the executive commission of La Unió points out “that Spanish productions do not compete on price, since they do not beat us in quality” and wonders what the EU’s food sovereignty will become if this contingent is given the green light.