The subdelegate of the Government in Ourense, Eladio Santos, announced a significant reinforcement of the surveillance operation for the control of entry of foreign grapes in view of the harvest of this 2025, with more troops and greater police presence. It did so at the coordination meeting held this morning to guarantee once again the maximum quality of the wines of the four Ourense designations of origin.
At the meeting, held in the Government Subdelegation, the heads of this institution, representatives of the Xunta, Security Forces and Bodies and the four Regulatory Councils held an exchange of information and addressed the existing needs. After the meeting, Eladio Santos warned that the entry of foreign grapes into designations of origin can have several consequences: the imposition of administrative infractions; criminal liability for food fraud offences; the expulsion of a winery of the designation of origin; a significant harm to the sector, or the introduction of pests.
The deputy delegate thanked the Civil Guard, the National Police and the Autonomous Police for their absolute coordination to establish the surveillance controls in the search for the greatest effectiveness, giving priority to the location of the hot spots that require special control, such as the areas bordering other autonomous communities and the border with Portugal, as well as access to the wineries.
Santos also stressed the commitment of the Government of Spain to protect the authenticity of products with designations of origin. "The control of foreign grapes implies an active defense of the prestige of our wines, of years of effort of the winegrowers and of the confidence of the consumers," he said. In this regard, he stressed the importance of collaboration with the Xunta to avoid practices that endanger the sector.
The meeting was also attended by the accidental general secretary of the Subdelegation of the Government, Félix Ríos; the territorial director of the Presidency, Justice and Sports, Beatriz Fernández; the territorial director of the Rural Environment, José Antonio Armada; the lieutenant colonel head of the Civil Guard of Ourense, Rafael Berguillo; the inspector of the National Police, Francisco Javier Mangana; the deputy chief inspector of the National Police attached to the Autonomous Community, Miguel Ángel Mojón.