Spain has asked the European Union to require South African citrus shipments to be cold-treated before they can be imported. Luis Planas wrote Stella Kyriakides in a letter to ask for this protective measure against false codling moths, a pest afflicting several citrus producing countries, among them is South Africa.
According to Planas, a recent report by the European Food Safety Agency states that the South African measures available to prevent the pest from entering the country “are not enough and, furthermore, they are not applied correctly”.
Separately, in a letter to the commissioners for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski; Commerce, Valdis Dombrovskis, and Health, Stella Kyriakides, Planas and Spain’s Minister of Commerce, Reyes Maroto, asked for the European Commission to treat citrus imports from third countries as very sensitive imports.
According to the report, the EU’s upcoming review of its economic partnership agreement with the Southern African Development Community “should not offer additional concessions for citrus imports”.
Citrus imports from South Africa to the EU have increased exponentially since the agreement was signed five years ago.
Due to the expansion of South Africa’s citrus acreage and extension of its supply window, Spanish producers have long argued the overlap between the Spanish and Southern African seasons are damaging the industry.
