Now that the South African season has finished, the CGA (Citrus Growers Association) is back on track with its disagreements with the EU, as if the season had not been too good for them.
The South African citrus growing sector has made its doubts known about the accuracy and reliability of the testing procedures followed by the laboratories of the EU Member States.
This matter is at the heart of a long dispute between the EU and South Africa. The publication by EUROPHYT (European Union Notification System for Plant Protection Interceptions) of the 51 detections of black spot in citrus fruit was the trigger that once again is putting the disagreements between Spain and South Africa at the centre of the question.
The South African association argues that research had revealed a series of results of false positive trials and incorrect reports throughout the season. Within these incorrect reports, according to the CGA, cases were notified in which the pest did not appear in South Africa as the fruit was produced in a pest-free area. The CGA also indicated that “it takes its plant protection responsibilities very seriously, implementing a strict system of risk management, which guarantees that over 99.9 percent of the fruit that reaches the EU countries is pest-free.” A procedure which, according to South African sources, is costing the sector around 3,700 million rands.
The Director of the Lemon and Grapefruit Interprofessional Association, (AILIMPO), José Antonio García, pointed out that “it is a surprising, senseless announcement by South Africa, which instead of acknowledging an internal problem, has decided to follow a strategy involving the discrediting of the European official services.”
“I think that they are rushing ahead blindly. When there were only six detections in 2020, they did not criticise the official analysis system and now that there have been 51 detections, they suddenly decide to discredit it.”
“Perhaps it would have been more intelligent to acknowledge the real problem of the 51 detections, carrying out an internal investigation and taking corrective steps for next season.”
The management of AILIMPO has wanted to pass on all its support to the plant protection services of the MAPA and the EU, along with its respect for the work carried out to prevent harmful organisms from entering the farming activity.
The fact is that both AILIMPO and CGA have been members of the supranational body, WCO (World Citrus Organization) since its founding.
