47 year old Yves Galtié, Head of Moissac Export Fruits, has had to explain why she has been lying to her clients about the origin of her merchandise. During a control, 40 packages of Spanish cherries labeled as French were found.
Local farmers were outraged by such an occurrence as the Moissac is one of the main cherry producers in the department. Following the police's revelations, JA (Jeunes Agriculteurs- young farmers) poured piles of manure in front of the entrance to the company. The JA, FDSES, the Tarn-et-Garonne Chamber of Agriculture and a company that is a client of the export company have demanded over €9,000 in total.
When asked to explain her decision to lie about the origin of her products, Yves Galtié clumsily said that "in full season, we had to keep up the supply so as not to be in competition with buying centres, and the price is identical for Spanish cherries and French cherries". The Judge did say that "Spain is, however, known to have cheaper manual labour, and consumers are willing to pay more to buy the French cherries..."
It was revealed that at least 37 tons of cherries were concerned, totalling €93,921. The court have given the company an €8,000 fine as well as the €9,000 for damages and compensation, a decision that was clearly welcomed by the agricultural world
