Fuerteventura Exposition, Feaga 2010

The annual FEAGA exposition took place this last during the weekend of the 21st to the 23rd of May in what is a now familiar location off the main road from Caleta de Fuste to Jandia at the Pozo Negro junction. This year the Island had a lot to celebrate and show off both in terms of its local agricultural and homestead businesses and the UNESCO biosphere accreditation.

The site was divided into numerous areas encompassing livestock, dairy, meat and wine products, local business suppliers, show areas for live demonstrations including rescue dogs and horse showmanship, and a tented eating facility. The variety of stalls was particularly staggering with each producer keen to impress and win over custom with tempting cheeses, wines and never ending tit bits.


Business suppliers were also keen to show and explain their services offering solar power solutions, agricultural machinery, animal feed, water source solutions and other services. Chris Minty from Fuerteventura Spas was on hand to demonstrate his wide range of Spas and property management solutions as well as taking local BBQs to the next level with the Boretti range of gas BBQs. Udo Abraham was also on hand to demonstrate the AGCOR watering concept for domestic and agricultural use that uses 100% recycled rubber tyres to produce a ‘leaking membrane’ tubing system that ensure no wasted water by evaporation.

Fuerteventura’s Cabildo put on a 3 screen visual video display showing the variety of the Islands landscapes and a presentation of the future land use program to ensure the conservation and preservation of Fuerteventura’s unique natural resources now that the Biosphere accreditation has been awarded.

The show is not just for buyers of agricultural equipment, in fact it is designed to bring awareness to the variety of products and services offered in Fuerteventura and the live shows make for an entertaining day out. The pebbled beach of Pozo Negro also provides an ideal family stop with two fantastic sea side restaurants looking out over a naturally sheltered cove. The winding road to the beach also passes an interpretation centre in La Atalayitas which explains the unique volcanic nature of this part of the Island.

International Money Transfers Cost Britons £101M Each Year

Poor bank rates and high charges for foreign exchange transactions mean individuals need to be savvier when transferring money overseas. Research by Moneycorp reveals that Brits are potentially losing over £101m a year by not shopping around for the best deals when transferring money abroad. Furthermore, uncompetitive exchange rates and high bank charges are costing individuals a lot of money, despite a concerted effort by most to reduce their outgoings on luxury and even staple items.

Head of Personal Clients at Moneycorp David Kerns, comments:

“While many individuals are visiting comparison websites more frequently, checking voucher code sites and consulting online consumer forums before purchasing goods in order to save money, this mindset doesn’t seem to have extended to foreign exchange. As a result, individuals are missing out on a very large sum of money they could be saving, by transferring funds overseas through a foreign exchange specialist rather than a bank. Not surprisingly, high street banks are cashing in as a result of this surprisingly apathetic approach.”

People who own additional properties abroad and make regular mortgage and/or utilities payments will also be badly affected, as every transfer is open to individual transfer charges, in addition to exchange rates.

People buying or selling property overseas and people emigrating or repatriating will be particularly affected, though this issue will affect all Brits who are transferring money overseas.

Data from the UK’s number one property website, Rightmove Overseas, reveals that the average house price in the Costa del Sol in Spain is currently €369,860.68. With a deposit of 10% (€36,986), using a high street bank rather than Moneycorp would cost an individual, on average, an extra £558 on their deposit alone.

An individual who wants to transfer a lump sum of £100,000 to an account in Europe would lose out on an average of €1,690 by using their bank for the transfer into euros.

David Kerns concludes: “Despite the UK coming out of recession recently, individuals shouldn’t be lining the pockets of their bank managers and it’s in their best interest to maximise their investments. Prior to making any overseas payments, we always advocate that people shop around to get the best rates possible.”