Eyes peeled for stolen Oranges

SPECIALIST Police last week seized 3,220 kilos of oranges stolen in the Castellon district of Benicarlo, and in Denia. Government sources explained that in addition to the oranges, the police confiscated 15 kilos of snails belonging to a rare species protected by the country’s Biodiversity Law.

The sting operation involved five specialist police patrols, put together to combat horticultural crimes, together with two from the local police.

Between them they inspected 103 vehicles and resulted in them detaining 23 people.

Spain’s version of Britain’s Young Farmers Association, The ASAJA, in Alicante, said that incredibly some farmers are having to sleep in their fields to stop their crops being robbed. The Association has noted a sharp increase in the number of thefts from agricultural land, perhaps linked to the deepening economic woes of the country, where desperate people are taking desperate measures.

That is not an excuse but a reality of a situation arising from the crisis.

Read the full story on the increasing problem of agricultural crime in this weeks EWN out on Thursday

By Paul Deed