The **Canarian Land Workers Association (Atratican)** has denounced this Monday an alleged **fraud** in the **importation** of **melons** to the islands from **Brazil, labeled** as if they were grown in **Spain**. A illicit practice that, the association warns in a statement, "could be aggravated" by the free trade agreement between the European Union and the Latin American countries that form **Mercosur**. Atratican reports that **it plans to file a complaint with the Seprona** of the Civil Guard, and **later** to forward it to the **Prosecutor's Office**, as it has evidence of illegal importation of melons of Brazilian origin to the Canary Islands. It recalls that the introduction of melons into the archipelago from non-European countries has been prohibited since 1987 in application of a ministerial order that establishes for the Canary Islands the phytosanitary regulations for the importation, exportation, and transit of plants and plant products. The alleged fraud that Atratican speaks of consists of **importing melons from Brazil to Spain, to the Peninsula, and then changing their boxes, replacing the labeling, and modifying the traceability** of the product, making it appear as Spanish melon, in order to introduce it into the Canary Islands, as **has already happened with shipments of avocado or tropical pineapple,** indicates the association. It considers these to be "circumstantially very serious" facts that must be investigated by the competent authorities, because they represent "a threat to the Canarian countryside, both due to the risk of pest penetration and by distorting the market with unfair competition that harms, obviously, those who comply with the rules and are on the side of local melon producers." The affected Canarian producers plan to launch a social media campaign to raise awareness among Canarian society about the negative effects of the illegal entry of fruit from countries with a high health risk, indicates Atratican.
