back to article EU in Chinese garlic-crushing operation

The EU's European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) is applauding the success of an anti-smuggling operation which saw 144 tonnes of fresh Chinese garlic seized in Poland. The cunning oriental plan to flood Poland with Allium sativum involved labelling the produce as "fresh onions", which attract a 9.6 per cent ad valorem import duty …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Samuel Williams

    Now if only they could tackle the issue of the EU

    That organised crime syndicate dressed up as a democracy.

    1. Intractable Potsherd

      Of course...

      ... you are merely teasing us, and you have the evidence for your claims already written down and ready to post, haven't you?

      You haven't? Well, you aren't worth listening to, then.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Grenade

      Not sure why this got downvoted

      But when I worked on an EC funded project it was pretty obvious that the un-audited accounts of the EU cover up an excessive amount of fraud and criminal activity.

      I suppose people must be downvoting the accusation that the EU is even dressed up as a democracy. Since the EU parliament is incredibly marginalised and actually has no legislative authority, it would be remarkably hard to accuse the EU of being even remotely democratic.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Black Helicopters

        @Not sure why this got downvoted

        because the comment was slightly off topic.

        Anon for obvious reasons

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sod the duty, have you tried cooking with the stuff?

    I am surprised they "caught" some. In fact I suspect that the importer simply annoyed the wrong people in the wrong places.

    Eastern EU market is flooded with this stuff. The import duty implications aside it tastes like sh**. It is also suspiciously big. It will be interesting to see the chemical analysis for nitrates and trace elements in it.

    1. jake Silver badge

      I concur. Friends don't let friends purchase Chinese garlic.

      The California chain grocery market is flooded with the stuff, too ... and it's AWFUL! On the bright side, most farmer's markets & roadside fruit stands carry various varietals from Gilroy & Salinas. Ask your green-grocer for proper garlic ... Squeaky wheel & all that.

      Or simply grow your own. It's not exactly rocket science ...

  3. MinionZero
    Joke

    144 tonnes of fresh Chinese garlic seized in Poland

    I bet the anti-smuggling sniffer dogs found that easily!

  4. James 5
    Happy

    So, soon it'll be common,,,,

    .... to see Chinese garlic sellers on rickshaws replacing the French onion sellers on bikes......

    Sign of the times!

  5. Cameron Colley

    OK, I'm confused.

    Why does one food product cost more per unit in tax than another? Is there some kind of NON-EU-Garlic-Tax-funded free-mint system?

    This just makes it sound like the EU is a glorified protection racket.

    1. It wasnt me
      Thumb Down

      blah blah title

      "This just makes it sound like the EU is a glorified protection racket."

      Yep, thats one accusation that could be fairly levelled at the EU. There are many more.

    2. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge

      Different food stuffs have different values per kilogram

      That can make a BIG difference. Try buying a kilogram of white truffles ;-)

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Just buy the Chinese white truffles

        They're bigger, cheaper and taste a lot like a football.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      so

      It appears you don't know how world trade works. Have you tried reading any country's import tariff rules?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        @reading any country's import tariff rules

        No yet!

        But I will try next time when I can't sleep.

  6. It wasnt me
    IT Angle

    IT ?

    There, question asked.

    Answer in the same post- its in effing bootnotes. So no need for everyone else to ask.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Well,

    they needed the saved money, 180k, to pay off an MP3 or two with MPAA

  8. Bassey

    OLAF

    So there's an organisation that really knows its Onions.

  9. Mike Moyle
    Coat

    Okay...

    ...who leeked...?

  10. Youngone Silver badge
    Flame

    Chinese garlic is worthless anyway

    As the ac noted above, it tastes like s**t. There's no duty where live, so the stuff is super cheap compared to the locally grown stuff, but our local supermarket has stopped stocking it, as they couldn't give it away. It is also bleached I understand, to make it look good on the shelf.

  11. LinkOfHyrule
    Joke

    Daily Mail headline

    Daily Mail headline -

    China floods Poland with "counterfeit" onions - will Britain be next and will these bulbous vegetables cause or cure cancer?

  12. Eddy Ito
    Coat

    Splendid

    Polish vampires can now relax knowing the EU is there to protect an ancient way of life full of shallots with nary a hint of garlic in sight.

  13. Alan Brown Silver badge

    Polish vampires..

    Had nothing to fear from this "garlic" in any case.... See other comments.

  14. mhenriday
    Pint

    «OLAF estimates the EU has already lost a whopping €1m [€1M]

    to the Chinese garlic-dressed-as-onions trade.» Good to see that our EU authorities remain vigilant to protect us consumers - or was it rather their sources of income - amazing, however, that a sum as small as €1M was able to excite their attention at all ; that's coffee change in Brussels. But then, on the other hand, they do measure cucumbers, to determine whether length and curvature meet our exacting standards, so perhaps I shouldn't be surprised....

    Henri

  15. Allan George Dyer
    Joke

    But what was the street price?

    Come on, illicit substance smuggling stories are ALWAYS supposed to have a greatly-inflated "street price" of the amount seized...

    "When cut with butter and baked in french bread, the haul could be resold on the street for €28M"

  16. some vaguely opinionated bloke
    Joke

    144 tonnes of Chinese garlic?

    That's gross.

  17. william henderson 1

    drugs??

    are there garlic addicts too?

    1. jake Silver badge

      @william henderson 1

      Speaking as one of the afflicted, I can unequivocally answer "Hell yes!" :-)

  18. tony trolle

    Sounds like the UK trucking/shipping con

    some deal about chocolaty biscuits and plain one spring to mind.

    Book out both, return chocy ones (on paper)

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like