The Spanish Federation of Associations of Producers and Exporters of Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers and Live Plants, FEPEX, is a non-lucrative private organisation whose main objectives are to provide a comprehensive service to its members, and to represents and defends its interests towards the various administrations, institutions, bodies of action and international organisations. Besides this, FEPEX contributes greatly to development of the Spanish sector by carrying out studies, quality procedures, and guides, among other things.

Set up in 1987, FEPEX comprises 26 autonomous or provincial associations, whit more than 1.500 production and marketing companies, which are divided into three branches of activity :

FEPEX is broadly present in the national scene, as well as internationally and institutionally. Nationally, it is the most significant organisation regarding production and exportation of vegetables and fruits, grossing more than 70% of Spanish exportable production (excluding citrus and bananas), as well as the production and marketing of flowers and live plants.

In the international sphere, FEPEX cooperates with a range of organisations and institutions that are somehow involved in the fruit, vegetable, flowers, live plants and nurseries business. Alongside this, FEPEX maintains, through its representative office, a direct and permanent presence in Brussels.

In the institutional and public spheres, FEPEX works along with the following ministries:

Ministry of Agriculture, Fishing and Food
Fepex is a representative body of companies that produce, pack and market, including cooperatives, and others farming companies, recognised or nor, as producer organisations, according with European Community regulations. Based on these characteristics, FEPEX is an interlocutor for the Ministry of Agriculture in matters related with the production and market of vegetables and fruits, and as such participates in the following committees:

- General Council of Interbranch Organisations of Food and Agriculture. By agreement with the Council of Ministries and by the proposal of the Ministry of Agriculture, FEPEX has been designated as member of the General Council of Interprofessional Organisations of Food and Agriculture.
- National Commission of Controlled Production. This is the body that regulates and endorses the quality regulations of controlled production with integrated production.
- National Commission of Biovigiliancia. This is the body for advice on the matter of genetically modified organisms.
- Commission of Protection for Obtaining Vegetables. Study expedients related to protection of vegetable varieties and examines informs about grant, refusals, and claims for the Title of Obtaining Vegetable.
- Mixed Spanish-French Committee. This Committee was set up by agreement of the Spanish- French Government Summit, in 1997.

Fepex has also signed several agreements with the Ministry of Agriculture to carry out studies about the conditions of use for chemical products, within Spanish fruit horticulture production, so as to promote production of fruits and vegetables and of flowers and live plants, in the foreign markets.

Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade
FEPEX has the most important position in Spain within the area of vegetables and fruits. It contributes to the opening and consolidation of new foreign markets, and at the same time manages a high degree of internationalisation through the associated companies. These aspects allow FEPEX to become a “collaborator entity” of the Secretary of State of Tourism and of the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce. Fepex acts as an interlocutor body before the General Administration of State on matters related to the defence of marketing interests, such as in international forums as well as national ones.

Besides this it contributes to the channelling of information about marketing regulations among its associates, and at the same time manages access for its members in foreign markets. This collaboration between the Ministry of Industry and FEPEX contributes to make political Spanish foreign marketing more effective.

FEPEX participates, also, in the Commission of Foreign Trade of Food and Agriculture Products which analyses community regulations for foreign marketing and development in exportation along with the carrying out of the monitoring of community agreements with third world countries.

Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs
FEPEX collaborates with the Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs in matters regarding salaries, social contributions and working conditions of foreigner workers. Also in issues regarding estimates for work accidents and professional sickness, and in matters regarding the training of workers in the sector. This collaboration is formed through the General Secretary of Employment, the Secretary General of Technology, the Secretary of State of Social Security, the Director General of Immigration and the Director General of Employment

Ministry of Education and Science
FEPEX collaborates with the Ministry of Science and Technology through an agreement to research in the vegetables and fruit sector. Also it develops a series of relationships with various research and academic organisations to improve the flavour, colour, texture and overall quality of specific fruits and vegetables.

In the private sector, and in relation to quality, FEPEX is a corporate member of Euro-Retailer Produce Working Group, EUREP, and of the Spanish Association for Standardisation and Certification, AENOR.

FEPEX participates in the Steering Committee of EUREP, which studies general strategy and evaluation of endorsements of GAP plan, alongside the regulations of quality which are specifically applied to different countries.

Along with AENOR, FEPEX holds the office of Secretary of CTN155, participating actively in the periodic revisions of the series of UNE regulations.
Also, we are a member of the Technology Committee of Certification of AENOR CTC 054, in which we revise the system of certification for fruits and vegetables.

Related with the sector of flowers and plants live, FEPEX is the national coordinator of MPS system, handling the establishment MPS, the environmental quality system for flowers and plants in Spain.

FEPEX is member of International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), essential requirement to collaborate in the organisation of International Exhibition of Zaragoza 2008.

Also, in the private and international sphere, FEPEX promotes initiatives of transnational nature, such as the European Group of Producers of Tomato. This group is composed by the most important organisations of France, Holland, United Kingdom, Belgium and Poland, whose objective is the protection of the production of the European tomato before the European Commission.

Finally, FEPEX, through ASONAL, is the Spanish body responsible to “National Committee RUCIP”, where the RUCIP inspections and reports are carried out