All South African eyes are on Brussels today where the European Union’s Standing Committee on Plant Health is meeting to determine what further steps must be taken on the widely reported on-going issue of citrus black spot (CBS).
With Spain leading a group of southern European growers determined to impose strict restrictions on South African citrus imports over a perceived threat posed by such arrivals to their own crops, South Africa is hoping that support from countries in northern Europe will be enough to push the opposing sides towards some kind of consensus.
At the last meeting of the EU Standing Committee on Plant Health in April, proceedings were adjourned before any further decision could be made regarding measures to be taken against South African citrus.
The stalemate came after a number of southern European states blocked the approval of a South African proposal that apparently took into account stringent measures already introduced by the export industry, as well as further measures to be introduced in July aimed at minimising the perceived risk posed to European production by the imported fruit.
Despite an intensive campaign to reassure growers in the Mediterranean, it is understood a delegation from Spain met with the EU's Agricultural Council last week and requested increased pressure on northern Member states and DG Sanco, which supported the South African package at April's committee meeting.
Spain apparently argued not only that it was necessary to reinforce strict measures on imported citrus from South Africa, but also that such control measures be increased both on arrival in Europe and before departure from South Africa, paying special attention to suspected latent forms of CBS.
They also argued that a single level of guarantees should be established regardless of the destination of the fruit. Where such measures are not conformed, Spain demanded that imports be closed as a precaution.
Determined efforts
South Africa’s Citrus Growers’ Association (CGA) responded with a flurry of lobbying aimed at reinforcing the belief among Northern European nations that the measures already implemented or due to be introduced soon are both reasonable, scientifically well defined and sufficient to minimise the risk to European citrus.
Those arguments were expected to come to a head at today's meeting, with any decision likely to determine the future of the South African citrus industry in Europe.
The issue of CBS and the possible outcome of today's Brussels meeting is receiving prime-time coverage in South Africa, with news channels reporting that the future of the R14bn citrus industry is at risk and pointing out that the industry is crucial to the South African economy because of its extensive foreign exchange earnings and job creation potential.
Voluntary measures already introduced by South Africa have reportedly resulted in fruit from more than 1,200 production units – a sizeable part of around 600,000 tonnes exported each year – being withdrawn from the EU market.
As a result, concerns are already being raised over the possible congestion that this fruit's elimination from Europe might cause in other markets.
If the standing committee goes one step further and imposes a permanent ban on South African citrus, that congestion could be even worse.
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