South Africa’s citrus industry says an independent Eureopean Union report which was released this week is a major boost for the industry regarding the ongoing citrus black spot issue.
The industry says the report, which was released by the EU’s Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) on their audit carried out in South Africa earlier this year, shows that the industry’s Citrus Black Spot (CBS) risk management system has been rigorously and diligently applied.
The FVO is an independent EU Commission service tasked with monitoring food safety and plant health by carrying out audits and inspections to ensure that EU legislation is properly implemented and enforced.
The Citrus Growers Association (CGA) says in a statement the FVO team found that the National Plant Protect Office (NPPO) has reviewed and strengthened significantly its export procedures and system of official checks to take account of the outcome of the 2014 export season, and the investigations carried out following findings of non-compliance and notifications of interception from the EU.
The CGA says the report greatly enhances the likelihood of stable and predictable trade conditions for South African citrus exporters to the EU, as it demonstrates that South Africa’s risk management system is, accortding to the FVO, fully in line with the revised EU requirements for the import of such fruit from South Africa.
The association added that the South African citrus industry has gone to great lengths to ensure compliance with, and a commitment to, meeting the European Union’s requirements - achieved at enormous cost to the government and citrus industry.
“It should be seen against the backdrop of an ongoing scientific dispute since 1992 on the true risk of CBS being transmitted to citrus production areas in the southern parts of Europe,' the CGA stated.
The SA citrus industry employs an estimated 100,000 people and exports account for 80 per cent of its R9.4bn annual revenue, 40 per cent of which is generated from exports to the EU.
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