Our Missions and Files

To represent our members before :

• Public authorities and watchdogs
• Inter-Trade organisations
• International organisations

To promove our business :

• To public and professional authorities
• To schools and training organisations

To inform our members :

• Regulation and economy watch
• «Experts Club »
•  Training programmes

Extract from the 2010 Management Report :

1. Quality and Standardisation :

• F&V PARTNERSHIP :

Since the signing on 27 October 2009 of the F&V Partnership Agreement between the partner federations, the ANEEFEL, the CSIF and the UNCGFL and the DGCCRF, its deployment has been conveyed by :

1. The promotion of the agreement :

Internal information actions by each federation for its members;
Information actions for the sector, in particular, a presentation to the Fruit and Vegetables and Quality group of the FCD in December and , a conference at the time of the MEDFEL in Perpignan, in May, with the participation of the DGCCRF.

2. The finalisation of the tools and the supports :

Launching of training courses, with the CTIFL;
Dedicated webside: www.felpartenariat.eu;
Sélection of five partner laboratories.

3. Introduction of specific training programmes:

11 training sessions with the CTIFL have been held, between December 2009 and October 2010;
91 trainees have to date have attended the F&V Partnership training.
40 companies are engaged in the exercise.

• Standardisation :

Following the suppression of numerous EU standards, and the recourse to EEC UN standards, we have requested and obtained from the DGCCRF of the periods of grace in order to allow the operators to adapt their practices for several products, avocados and mangos in particular.

Moreover, we have announced, in the context of the negociations on the evolution the EEC UN Standards, development requests, submitted to the EEC UN Worek Group via the DGCCRF: several of our requests have been ratified. We also monitor the work on the interpretative brochures (including those on grapefruit, pineapple, and so on.).

2. LMAP :
Since spring 2010, we have been following the parliamentary work and the lobbying conducted on the government bill, through CGI. But the trade has been little heard, this text being primarly intended to protect the French farmers, in the context of the progressive dismantling of the Common Agricultural Policy.
Since this summer, following the promulgation of the Act, we have taken part in and contributed to the work undertaken in the CGI context with our colleagues ANEEFEL and UNCGFL on the analysis and the interpretation of the texts (see the notes disseminated on PAV and RRR), the Act being not very explicit on many points, even in contradiction with certain previous provisions.

3. Sustainable Development :
The corporate pressures on the various energy and environmental problems remain, even though, following the spring 2010 elections, the pressure from the political side is lower. The CSIF is continuing the following actions :

• Sales Folder - Constitution of Basic References:

Start of the implementation of the ALIA FLONUDEP Project:

Objective : to develop the indicators and decision-making assistance tools in the environmental, social and economic fields ;
Three series of Life Cycle Analysis, on each one of these fields, will be implemented;
The study relates to the fresh tomato sectors and industries in Morocco, France and Turkey.

Environmental Display (AFNOR ADEME Project) :

Continuation of the lobbying with the CGI and the CIRAD, as well as with the ANIA and the FCD ;
The CSIF has presented to the GT AFNOR ADEME, jointly with the CIRAD, a synthesis of the work already done on the tomato sector, the objective being to argue the need for some basic, indispensable work before moving to the consumer display stage ;
In spring 2010, the display obligation at 01 January 2011 became an experiment with effect from July 2011.
We remain on watch with regard to this subject, the CIRAD moreover being a member of the steering committee of the project"s governance committee.

4. Promotion of the Import Trades :

• Trade Action :

Production and distribution of a brochure presenting our sector and the commercial, quality and logistical functions, and the ONISEP distribution of a press release: 105 brochures sent out, to targeted contacts, after individual contact with each one of them :
         Training, orientation and employment organisations: 43
         Teaching establishments: 39
         Websites : 23
Repercussions: take-up of the press release in the press sector (FLD, Vegetable,...), and in Tribune Verte, newspaper of the BTS: the ONISEP has contacted us and has made a specific film for its website.
The brochures and some copies of the films are at the members'disposal.

• Relations with Schools : we organise company visits, and intervene in schools in order to raise the pupils' awareness of our sector.

5. Company Survey :

• Survey relating to the 2008-2009 marketing year, which covers the economic and qualitative parts (in the continuity of annual CSIF partnership survey) .
• This survey is conducted in the context of our partnership with the ENESAD. Following the example of the partnership forged with the CIRAD on the sustainable development theme, it is a question for the CSIF of constituting a fund of economic argumentation on the import trade, and of continuing our work on the quality part .

6. Trade Image Defence - Media Watch :

• We have intervened with Interfel, which had tested a promotional campain in favour of French origination which contained some negative allegations with regard to imported products.
• We had to answer some requests from the press, (e.g. the UFC dossier on the imported fruit and vegetables that should be chosen). If necessary, we hold at your disposal a sales folder on the questions on our sector that could be put to you by the media.

7. Websit Reworking :

• As the current website has reached its technical limits, it has proved to be necessary to start to rework it.
• An invitation to tender was conducted and a service provider was selected this autumn.

8. CSIF COMMITTEES AND WORK GROUPS :
Several committees and work groups are operational :
MEETING WHITH THE CONTROL SERVICES (DDCCRF, Phytos / DGAL, Customs): two specific meetings (PACA and Rungis) have enabled us to take stock and have facilitated our contacts with the control services.
WELFARE COMMITTEE : we take part in the Welfare Committee of the UNCGFL, precaution agreement, etc, ….
QUALITY WORK GROUP: A group comprising several QA Managers has worked very actively on the development of the F&V partnership and the standardisation. Several meetings have been held on the development of the EEC UNO standards.
TRADES WORK GROUP : (see above)

9. RELATIONS WITH THE PUBLIC AUTHORITIES :
CUSTOMS : Customs contact (head of controls office) in connection with the EU-Morocco agreement ;
FRANCE AGRI MER : The CSIF has been sitting on the France Agri Mer specialist board since 2009. We have thus taken part in several meetings on the agriculture modernisation bill. We have also had meetings with France Agri Mer on the subject of import licences: see our circulated note on this subject.

10. HORIZONTAL FILES :
Our adhesion to the CGI enables us to have information and to take part in collective lobbying actions on horizontal files :
Social law
Economic Affairs
International Custom Code Trend
Logistics/Transport/Environment.

11. RELATIONS WITH THIRD COUNTRIES :
We are regulary contacted by embassies  (this year, fairly regular contacts with Chile, Mexico and Peru), or by trade or administrative delegations (this year: Peru, Mexico) which we receive and put in touch with interested members.

12. COLLABORATION WITH THE PROFESSIONAL ORGANISATIONS :

• CSIB : The CSIF shares its staff and its premises with the Higher Intercompany Banana Board. this organisation has strongly reinforced its capacity of influence. Its members market more than 850,000 tons of bananas, that is to say 20% of the European consumption.
• UDE : The CSIF shares its staff and its premises with the Paris Rungis Warehouses Union which works mainly on market trends and, more particularly, on the defence of large companies of the fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and logistics sectors.
• UFMB : The CSIF has since 01 April 2010 shares its staff and its premises with the French Banana Ripeners Union. The administrative support is shared with UNCGFL, which is responsible for the accounting, while we for our part ensure the promotion of the organisation, in particular the middlle office and the preparation of the weekly report on the economic situation.
• CGI : The CSIF is a direct member of this intercompany and international Trade Confederation, member of the MEDEF and the CGPME. We gather a great deal of information on horizontal files here. We take an active part in the Agroalimentary Liaison Committee. We have strongly taken part in the CGI's actions on the LMAP and on sustainable development, and in the student-oriented actions.
• UNCGFL : The CSIF maintains excellent relations with the UNCGFL with which we share certain files: Social Committee, F&V Partnership, COFREUROP, CAIFL, administrative support at the UFMB.
• FRESHFEL : This organisation is the relay of our Community files, and we take an active part in several work groups.
• INTERFEL : Associate member of INTERFEL, we are invited to take part in the Board Meetings as observers. On our www.csif.eu site you will find the minutes of the "product" meetings (once by week in high season).
• CNIPT : The CSIF is a member of the Early Potato Committee of the CNIPT.
• CTIFL : The CTIFL is our preferential service provider for the installation of the F&V Partnership training.
• ANEEFEL : The CSIF maintains excellent relations with the ANEEFEL, with which we share certain files: F&V Partnership, COFREUROP, and CAIFL.
• CAIFL : The CSIF is a director of the CAIFL: you will find on the website a leaflet explaining the arbitration procedure, and we are at your disposal for any question on this subject ;
• Intergros : is our partner for the installation of the training.