Israeli produce group Agrexco Carmel has dismissed allegations that it is producing avocados under conditions in which workers’ rights are abused.
The group’s director Malchi Malinovitch said working laws are strictly adhered to and in Israel avocado is grown only inside the ”green line” borders and not in occupied territory.
Malinovitch was reacting to recent statements by the Food and Allied Workers’ (Fawu) in which it criticised retailers for importing avocados from Israel, saying they know of conditions of child and slave-type labour under which these imports are produced. “We supply avocados to many of the main supermarket chains in Europe.
The protocols for good agricultural practice are kept, and independent auditors check growers and packing houses to ensure it,” Malinovitch said. He said supermarkets such as Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury conduct ethical trading audits to ensure that workers rights in terms of salaries, working hours and accommodation standards are adhered to. He added he can prove this with documents and certificates.
Fawu general secretary Katishi Masemola said, “Retailers can do without these supplies and procure from other countries, even if it means paying slightly higher prices.”
Masemola said the matter came to the union’s attention when an investigative journalist approached it with the information. “We are confident that the information we received is accurate,” he said.
A ccording to Brian Weyers, marketing director of the Shoprite group, Freshmark, the group’s fresh produce division, bought 6,8 million avocados during the 2006 calendar year, of which 93,85% were sourced in South Africa. Only 1,12% were imported from Israel and a further 5,03% from Spain and Kenya. – Wilma den Hartigh
