All agri-food markets must remain open, in greater health security conditions! Outdoor markets are a bogus solution!

A broad alliance of small producers, civil society and academia in Romania is vehemently opposed to the closure of closed agri-food markets, in accordance with CNSU Decision 52 of 11/05/2020. We believe that the air markets promoted in recent days, without consulting the manufacturers, are false solutions that in turn create problems. The reckless decision to close indoor agri-food markets has already generated losses for small producers and raised fears among consumers.

We request the urgent review of CNSU Decision 52 of 11/05/2020 as well as the support of the Government and local authorities to keep all markets, agri-food pavilions and local fairs open, closed or open, permanent or temporary, private or public, in better conditions. of security. to prevent the transmission of the SARS-COV-2 virus, as is the case in all countries of the European Union.

Why are air markets a false solution and a new source of problems? In most Romanian cities there is no infrastructure for open-air markets, so they are carried out in parking lots on the outskirts of cities without access to water (which generates hygiene problems, which are crucial during a pandemic), where producers sell on the hoods or in the trunks of cars. Furthermore, open-air markets take place sporadically, their development time is substantially reduced compared to permanent markets (more than 20 times smaller), respectively, from 2 to 4 hours per week for an open-air market, in compared to 6-7 days a week, 8-12 hours a day for a permanent market. Last but not least, we are in November, one step away from the beginning of winter and the temperatures are extremely low. Exposing growers to the cold for a long time (there is no guarantee that the restrictions will not extend beyond 30 days) will create a new wave of disease and other dramatic effects on public health.

We believe that the impact of this extreme measure will be devastating for small producers, thus contributing to the deepening of poverty and social inequality; in this regard, the measure will also significantly affect consumers who prefer or depend on the supply of fresh and affordable food in markets. Agri-food markets represent for a large part of small producers the only source of income and food sales. The extreme measure of suspending the activities of closed agri-food markets hits small producers directly, leaving them without a safety net and at will, and even pushes them towards a new wave of emigration.

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, small Romanian producers have also been at the forefront and for eight months they have continued to ensure the supply of food in markets and agri-food fairs, without causing outbreaks of contagion.

In anticipation of the extension of the Covid-19 pandemic, small producers sent the Government and authorities on countless occasions, concrete requests and proposals in support of the local economy and consumers.

Once again, we call on state institutions to take note of the proposals and solutions that we bring and reaffirm our willingness to be a partner for their long-term implementation:

1. Maintain open markets, agri-food pavilions and local fairs, closed or open, permanent or temporary, private or public, in cities or towns, as well as small agricultural businesses, throughout Romania, during the Covid-19 crisis.

2. Inclusion of associations of small producers in the decisions made by the local market (markets and agri-food salons, fairs, agricultural stores, short food chain initiatives), in the context of Covid-19 and beyond.

3. Prioritization of small producers (instead of intermediaries) in peasant markets, both public and managed by private administrators.

4. Allocation of public funds (for example, from rents paid by market vendors), at the local and national level, by town halls, city halls, public and private market administrations and the Government, to guarantee physical distance and the hygiene of the local market infrastructure (including stocks of protective products and equipment (masks, gloves, overalls, disinfectants, etc., but also proactive communication and correct and timely training of sellers on the rules they must follow). You also need to ensure the primary epidemiological triage (thermal scanning), providing hand washing and disinfection points (hand and foot disinfection station) at the entrance to markets, fairs and dining rooms, controlling the number of people and ensuring circuits of separate input-output.

5. Provision of public advisory, monitoring and control services dedicated to market managers (public and private) and producers, to guarantee the safety and health of producers and consumers in all markets and local fairs, in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

6. Promote local markets and short food chains as a viable and safe supply alternative for consumers in times of crisis, through a comprehensive national education and awareness campaign, with the association of small producers and civil society, and through long-term investments in this traditional form of food trading.

7. Support by all necessary means the individual and group initiatives of small producers for the sale of food at home, by a) allowing the self-organization of fixed and mobile distribution points, in compliance with the regulations to prevent the spread of Covid -19, b) the provision by the local authorities of adequate storage spaces and the coverage by the Government and / or the local authorities of the costs of their operation.

Inequality in the agri-food system must end! As long as supermarkets and hypermarkets remain open, all agri-food markets must also remain open. There are countless possible measures to ensure safe market activity, as well as examples of good practice. Agri-food markets are a public service that must be protected and supported as such by the authorities at all levels to guarantee food security, so that local, fresh, nutritious and convenient food remains accessible to the entire population. application and monitoring of these measures.

We remind the Government that with the relaunch of these restrictive measures a new electoral campaign has begun with enormous stakes. It is time for all decision makers and all political parties to turn their attention to the rural environment, which has historically been marginalized. The effects of ignoring the needs of small producers in this dire context and discriminating against them to the detriment of supermarkets can be dramatic for electoral ambitions.