Masiá Ciscar creates SBSP quality certificate of sustainability of its berries

Masiá Ciscar, a company from Huelva, has developed its own quality certificate with the aim of guaranteeing the environmental and social sustainability of its production of berries. The certificate, called “Sustainable Berries from Safe Produce” (SBSP), is already in use after being validated by an independent audit.

The production of berries under the SBSP quality certification is based on an Integrated Pest Management Technical Plan, specifically developed by Masiá Ciscar for the cultivation of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries under plastic. The development of this technical plan has required more than two and a half years of work and has had the support of Koppert Spain, a leading company in the biological control of pests and diseases.

“Our Integrated Pest Management Technical Plan, developed specifically for the SBSP quality certification, addresses for the first time the sustainable production of berries with an innovative and comprehensive approach and offers the highest quality fruit with the utmost respect for the environment. At the same time, our certificate incorporates the measurement of our strategies for reducing our carbon footprint and water footprint in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” said Carlos Masiá, director of Masiá Ciscar.

The SBSP certification prioritises biological pest control methods, using beneficial insects and microorganisms, over conventional methods that use chemical pesticides. To achieve this, the Integrated Management Technical Plan that Masiá Ciscar has developed establishes a series of preventive guidelines that allow permanent monitoring of the state of the crop, with the aim of identifying potential pests and diseases that are present on each farm well in advance. The decision-making process to support the biological pest control process involves the use of specific software, linked to humidity and temperature probes, along with a system of traps and surveillance cameras that automatically count the number of catches of each pest.