Valencian agriculture, particularly the citrus and fruit sectors, operates under one of the strictest phytosanitary regulatory frameworks in the world. This is not merely a perception within the sector: the European Union has formally committed to reducing the use and risk of chemical pesticides by 50% by 2030, as part of its From Farm to Fork strategy.

While this framework aims to improve sustainability and food safety, it significantly shapes how Valencian farmers produce their crops. The challenge arises when these high standards are not applied equally to all products entering the European market.

Increasingly strict rules, fewer available tools

Over recent years, EU legislation has progressively restricted the use of active substances for pest and disease control. In many cases, these withdrawals have occurred without equally effective alternatives being available.

As a result, Valencian farmers are forced to work with fewer tools, higher production costs, and reduced effectiveness in integrated pest management. Crop protection has become more complex, more knowledge-intensive, and more expensive, often without any reflection of these efforts in the final market price.

Imports that do not play by the same rules

The main competitive disadvantage arises when imports from third countries that are not subject to the same restrictions come into play.

• Many treatments with active substances that are banned in the EU continue to be used in their countries of origin. And, in many cases, the residues of these substances in fruit (MRLs) are accepted by the EU, even though their use is prohibited in the country of destination.
• Border controls, although necessary, do not always detect residues or emerging pests.
• Regulatory asymmetry creates a clear competitive disadvantage for Valencian producers. 

Direct consequences for agriculture

• Rising production costs and reduced effectiveness in pest control due to the continuous loss of active substances.

• Introduction and spread of invasive pests such as Delottococcus aberiae, Thaumatotibia leucotreta, Phyllosticta citricarpa, and Scirtothrips aurantii, originating from third countries.

• Market distortion: Valencian citrus competes on the same supermarket shelves, but not under the same production conditions.

• Loss of competitiveness compared to countries with lower production costs and more flexible phytosanitary regulations.

Conclusion: Reciprocity as the only path of balance

In response to this situation, an increasing number of voices within the agricultural sector are calling for the application of the principle of reciprocity:
any imported product should meet the same phytosanitary, environmental, and social requirements imposed on European production.

This is not about closing markets or restricting international trade. It is about ensuring fair competition. Without reciprocity, the sustainability, food safety, and economic viability of Valencian agriculture remain at serious risk.

The final question is unavoidable:
if standards are global, why are the rules of competition not the same for everyone?