Iñaki places his products on a table at the market not knowing that with this gesture he is representing a breath of fresh air, compared to other productive models, like the industrial one.

The Nobel prize for Agroecology, Mr. Henk Hobbeling, has it clear: “small farmers will refresh the planet”. In an interview with “La vanguardia”, the Dutch Agronomist confirms that 30% of the fertile land of the world which belongs to small farmers, produce 65% of the food. The founder of Grain, a NGO dedicated to  food sovereignty and agroecology believes that we need government help for small farmers so they don’t have to leave the countryside.

With reference again to the previous farmer from Orio, Iñaki, who used to work in a farmer’s union before dedicating his life to the farm life, he is aware that living from an orchard is difficult but at the same time advantageous. Especially for reconciling family life and be in contact with nature.

Iñaki knows that depending on the type of product, direct selling is more difficult. For example “eggs”.  He knows that it is necessary comply with hygiene rules and food safety, but he believes that some of these rules are more favorable for industrial producers. “We cannot apply the same rules for the production of 20.000 eggs as for 200 eggs”. But, the Sanitary Authorities care about the traceability of the product and must detect any possible irregularity along the food chain.

Biolur is the association for the support of the ecological agriculture in Gipuzkoa. It has created consumption groups in order to create a direct relationship between farmers and consumers.

Direct selling of ecological products it is not only a healthier and more sustainable  philosophy of life, but also an alternative way of eating where the consumer values the quality of the product, and its origin, more than its price; and they don’t always have to be the most expensive!

The bodies responsible for food safety are more rigorous with some products than others, depending on the risk related to the product. For example, all products of animal origin (meat, milk and eggs among others), must be approved by a sanitary inspector, meanwhile other products such as squid fished with a rod and line  can be sold without any sanitary authorisation, as they are considered as low risk.

For the small artisanal farmer, it is difficult to comply with the regulation, as they lack the necessary infrastructure to measure and show compliance. The law says that, in order to be able to sell your product to the market, it is necessary to comply with the law, whether or not you are a medium sized or a small farmer. But there are certain exceptions with some vegetables and fish. Zero risk does not exist in the food industry and therefore the administration demands to the small artisanal farmers self-control regarding their products. Perhaps a solution might be that the small producer, unable to comply with the legal aspects of the regulation, could demonstrate that their products perfectly healthy and in good sanitary condition. Some of the small producers don’t join cooperatives, whose products are regulated, because they are looking to differentiate themselves, from the rest of the market. But the added value that this approach gives to the product creates its own problems. So some farmers, in order to comply with the legal sanitary regulations, are forced to change their traditional way of making things for more modern methods that comply better with the regulations. There are countries, such as France, where there are more advanced and developed laws, even for products like the foie gras pate, which is not a raw ingredient but has had some amount of transformation: it is a product protected with more flexible regulations.

Hiroshi brings conger eel from Japan, he loves Cantabrian tuna fish and his vegetables come from a small local farmer. Hiroshi always gives priority to quality over price. While showing us how he cooks a cod, he explains that in his restaurant they deeply clean all the fresh fish in order to eliminate anisakis, which means that they must throw out most of the fish and keep only the loins and the tail. Anisakis Simplex is a marine parasite, whose larvae may cause gastric problems and, or, allergies to human beings

According to a study by Azti Tecnalia, allergic problems in the Basque Country represent 10% of the cases of anaphylactic shock (approximately 308 cases per year). The European hake is the species with the most amount of parasites, and in the Basque Country it is also the most consumed fish. Between 3 and 4,5 grams per habitant /day, considered a very high risk. While an ordinary individual can buy fresh fish at fish shops and be responsible for freezing it, or not, before eating it. A restaurant must freeze the product, especially if the fish is going to be consumed raw or semi-raw. However demand for fresh fish is increasing. Japan, one of the world’s most important fish consuming countries, has created specific laws concerning food safety, for example the Fugu fish. Stricts licenses are issued to manipulate this dangerous fish whose poison causes around six deaths per year.

Perhaps the solution could be, a specific awareness label for manipulating fresh fish, so every restaurant could be responsible for the presentation of its product. This is an alternative that will increase the value of the restaurants that consume local fresh products as well as increase the amount that local fishermen can charge, as they know that when their fresh fish is frozen it retains few characteristics to set it apart from imported frozen fish.

Why should a restaurant pay more for fresh fish, even doubling prices for a local fish caught with a hook and line, if after freezing the fresh fish, it has little differences compared to other frozen fishes from other seas further afield?