On September 10, a visit was made to the facilities of El Ciruelo, organized in collaboration with the Ethical Trade Forums, through the Sustainability Working group.
A total of 11 people participated, belonging to the companies AMT Fresh, AG Olives, Primafruit, Grupo Paloma, Royalveg, Fruca, Catman North, San Lucar Group, Frutas Alhambra. All of them accompanied by a representative of the Ethical Trade Forums.
The visit was led by Marisa Ruiz, Group Technical Director of Quality and Sustainability, who presented the sustainability initiatives and the steps taken by El Ciruelo to obtain important certifications such as Global G.A.P., GRASP, Spring, Tesco Nurture and Growy LeafMarque.
The day began with a visit to the farm El Campico, located in the municipality of Alhama de Murcia, where they have a total area of one thousand hectares. In these farms there are plantations of conventional and organic table grapes, different types of stone fruit (nectarine, flat peach, peach, apricot and plum), and a part of citrus (lemon and tangerine).
Among the measures shared during the visit were:
- They have an automatic irrigation system that is monitored 24 hours a day. The system consists of measuring the humidity by using technological probes, and is controlled at all times via mobile phone by the cultivation technicians.
- Biodiversity is preserved throughout the farm by replanting the margins and slopes with native plants, as well as by placing bird nesting boxes in the appropriate places.
- Studies and tests are carried out with universities to support research and invest in innovation and development.
- They are currently allocating an area of the farm for the installation of solar panels, which will provide the renewable energy necessary for the farm’s electrical operation.
- At this time of the year, the farm workers’ working day begins between 7:00 and 8:00 am, depending on the amount of light available. On days of maximum temperature, they activate the protocol for handling heat stress situations, and schedules are adapted to these circumstances, under the control and supervision of the Occupational Risk Prevention Department.
The 11 participants were very interested in the topics discussed and asked questions, mainly about the use of fertilizers and the responsible use of water.
The day ended with thanks to the participants and also to El Ciruelo for sharing its best practices in environmental sustainability with other ETFA members.
We invite other companies that are interested in sharing their best practices through a training session such as this one to contact the Ethical Trade Forums at afce@conexionsocial.com.
