Particularly difficult weather conditions in the western Mediterranean area, with production losses caused by the worst frosts for 20 years, made the 2004/2005 season one of the worst in the recent years for easy peelers and orange. The difficult situation highlights the perverse effects of the short-term commercial reasoning used by certain operators after the frosts and raises the question of the facilities to be used for getting seasons with increasing quantities of easy peelers off to a good start when the weather conditions are unfavourable for consumption.